It's Just High School, Right?
by DreamsComeFromtheHeart
Summary: The Hero that Time Forgot. The Shadow Guide. The Princess of Destiny. All reincarnated into modern Hyrule, where something sinister lurks within its depths... the Legend will repeat itself like never before... OOT remake.
1. Chapter 1

It's Just High School… Right?

A/N: Hello all! I am completely starting this story over from scratch. I've wanted to do that with all my earlier stories for a while since I feel like my writing style has evolved…

…Awkward Author's Note over now, point made! XD

Warnings: Suicide, implications of abuse, rude ancestors...

Also, Sheik is his own person and a male.

Disclaimer: I don't own LoZ… :I

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><p>Once upon a time, there was a baby.<p>

It was a special little thing- you see, he was condemned to a life of being ridiculed by his peers, then forced into a fate that some say he didn't want, and when all that was said and done, he lost the love of his life.

Let's not forget the last, excruciating, often forgotten fact; after the Gerudo King of Evil had been sealed away, the Princess of Destiny decided to send him back seven years to "live the youth he never had."

Some might call her despicable, a cowardice(for many reasons, though the most hypothesized one was so she wouldn't have to stare into those cerulean blue eyes and see the accusation, the hopelessness, and the defeat they held), and other nasty, unmentionable things.

Not only did the Princess change him from a child in an adult's body to an adult in a child's body, she also created a time rift. In the Time that Never Was, Hyrule was prosperous. The fields were lush and green, the economy was well off, the Kokiri stayed oblivious to the outside world, and the Princess was effortlessly nudged into rule at the age of thirty-two when her dear father passed away.

The Hero that Time Forgot, however, was a different story.

In his final moments, he lay by Lake Hylia's edge under a certain tree. He remembered. And he wept.

"Sheik… Sheik…" were the only words born into the air, only to be carried away by the wind with gentle fingers.

The Hero that Time Forgot was only nineteen when he took that plunge under the lake's surface, only to be found by a nearly hysterical Ruto.

Later, she would say he was smiling.

In the Time that Never Was, Hyrule evolved effortlessly from marketplaces and horses into malls and cars. Cell phones replaced carrier pigeons. Laptops brushed away scholars.

Descendants of the three that saved Hyrule were born.

Meet Link, a handsome blonde-haired blue-eyed boy who was courageous enough to protect his brother and best friend from the school bullies. They say his smile could melt even the coldest of hearts. Descendant of the Hero that Time Forgot.

Meet Sheik, a mysterious blonde-haired ruby-eyed Sheikah who was stealthy enough to sneak his best friend food when she went without eating. They say that he was the most responsible and therefore the most mature of the group. Descendant of the Shadow Guide.

Meet Zelda, otherwise known as Pink, a blonde-haired violet-eyed girl who was delicate enough to be broken by the twist of a finger. They say she was broken often… by her parents. Descendant of the wretched Princess of Destiny.

The three that Hyrule praised, despised, and forgot over the years, only to resurface into the youth of today.

They say when the three resurface… the King of Evil shatters his bonds.

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><p>In the suburbia of Hyrule, there sat a quaint little house- three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a sizable kitchen, and a cozy living room.<p>

In one of the said bedrooms, there lay a boy. His room was a navy blue, as were his comforters that draped his body. The pictures that hung on various places around the room were of his family, his friends, and his favorite paintings. He was a little on the taller side, his form was lithe, his shoulder length honey blonde hair was shaggy, and his wide ruby eyes were currently closed as he enjoyed a few hours of rest. It was his Spring Break from Hyrule University, after all.

"Sheeeiiikkkk!" a voice whined down the hall.

The boy grumbled and turned over, trying to hold on to the last vestiges of sleep.

"SHEEEEEEIK!" the voice was closer this time.

"What? What do you possibly want, Link?" red eyes were snapped open as he sat up, running a hand through his shoulder length honey hair.

"Sheik," the owner of the voice poked his head in the door, golden hair falling into cerulean eyes. "…I'm hungry."

"For Nayru's sake… Just make some pancakes, then."

"Do you really want me to turn the oven on?" Link raised his eyebrows.

"…No…" Sheik mumbled, remembering the last time Link tried to turn on the oven. It took many loans from their parents to replace the kitchen. "I'll be down soon."

"Sweet!" the hyperactive boy raced down the house to the kitchen, eagerly awaiting the promised pancakes.

Sheik shook his head, amused and irritated at the same time. _A senior in high school and still getting excited about pancakes…_

The tan boy rubbed his eyes and reached for his cell phone, going through the multiple messages he had received throughout the night.

_Pink: Parents are drunk again._

_Pink: They won't stop yelling at each other. Do you think they'd notice if I climbed out the window?_

_Pink: Remember when you said you wouldn't mind if I snuck into your house in the middle of the night and slept in the guest bedroom? Did you mean it?_

With a sigh, he finally climbed out of bed and pulled on a robe over his pajamas before venturing to the guest bedroom.

"Just as I thought," he whispered.

Curled up into a little ball on the queen-sized bed was his best friend. Her golden hair fell over her delicate face, her petite form covered by the silk bed sheets.

"Pink? Pink," he gently shook her shoulder. With a chuckle he noticed she was wearing a pair of his basketball shorts and one of Link's tee-shirts. "I'm making pancakes if you want some."

"Sheik….?"

"Yes?"

"Morning," she mumbled, violet eyes still closed.

"Morning," he snickered. "You're free to sleep in if you want, but just know that you'll miss pancakes. Link will inhale them."

"I'll eat later… Sleep now…" she turned over and was snoring within seconds.

The Sheikah crept out of the room and softly closed the door. Of course he'd make sure she'd have pancakes… even if that meant dealing with a grumpy Link.

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><p>An elderly man with owlish features stood in a meadow. The grass was vibrant green, the sky was robin's egg blue, and the brightly colored flowers swayed gently in the wind.<p>

He stood with his eyes closed, his maroon robes flowing down to the ground. "The Legend… it's about to repeat itself… but what to make of this?"

"Rauru," a figure appeared beside him. "Is it time?"

"Not yet, my child," the man known as Rauru turned to smile at the Hero that Time Forgot. "Soon. Patience is virtue, you know."

"But… I want to defeat him again."

"Ah, it is not your battle this time," Rauru clucked as another figure appeared beside the Hero.

"The Light Sage is correct, Hero. It is theirs. All we can do is watch and guide," the Shadow Guide commented. "The wind… it carries the secrets of the time coming… Ah!"

"You see it too, Shadow Guide?" Rauru questioned.

"Yes, Rauru… this time, it will be different… but will it result in the King of Evil's demise… or his ultimate rise to power?"

"Who knows, Shadow," the Sage shrugged. "All we can do is watch and guide, as you said."

The three stood there in the peaceful meadow, knowing what to come could change the fate of Hyrule… forever.

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><p>I didn't really mean to make past Zelda turn out bad. It just happened that way… I really do like her! Next chapter should provide more insight on their past, and maybe more of this twist Past Sheik and Rauru were talking about :3 Review please!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

It's Just High School… Right?

A/N: I'm backkkkkkkk :3 them there tornadoes have been sweeping through lately! I hate going down to the basement :C

This chapter might have a different flow… I'll be going into their pasts.

Review Reply:

Thespiritmaiden: Why thank you, darlin'! :D

Warnings: character death, racism, oddly morbid five year olds…

Also, Sheik is his own person and a male.

_Italics are thoughts and flashbacks_

Disclaimer: I don't own LoZ… :I

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><p>Sheik stood at the stainless steel stove, whipping up a fresh batter of pancakes. "How many do you want, Link?"<p>

"Three," the younger replied, eyeing the bubbling batter with hunger.

Sheik sighed and started to make five for his younger brother. Sometimes, the boy truly irritated him, but he didn't know what he'd do without him.

OOO

_Sheik was five when we watched his Aunt Impa die._

_His parents had died a few years ago in a drunk driving incident, leaving him in the care of his dear Auntie. She was strict, but it was obvious she loved him and raised him with great care._

_She had enforced a strict curfew- five o'clock. No exceptions. Nobody really liked the Sheikah, and she had heard the rumors of several citizens banding together to kill the endangered race…_

_One sweltering summer day, the child had run inside towards the air conditioning. "Auntie Impa? Impaaaaa? I want ice cweam," he peeped into the kitchen to see a little puddle of blood. "Auntie? Did you spill ketchup? Where are you?"_

_He decided to investigate the scuffling coming from her bedroom._

_"Impa? Auntie, I want- Auntie!" the child screamed as the men dressed in black looked up at him._

_"What do we do with the kid?"_

_"Just kill him, like the lady!"_

_As Sheik ran from the house, the image of Impa's mangled body was burned into his vision. How somebody could be so cruel as to hurt someone that badly was beyond his underdeveloped brain…_

_By the time he reached a trusted neighbor's house and the police arrived on the scene, it was discovered that something was written on the side of the house in blood._

_"SHEIKAHS DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE"_

_OOO_

_Sheik was placed into an orphanage. The clothing was drab, the food bland, and the insults awful._

_He hated it._

_Five year olds shouldn't think of death._

_This one did._

_One year after he was placed there, a young couple was walking down the hallway hand in hand. Sheik peaked out a crack in the doorway, curious as to whom they were. He knew when adults came by, that meant another child when be gone within a few days. He thought they were the lucky ones._

_"Oh my," the lady stopped and stared at the red eye peering out of the crack. "Who is this?"_

_"Hm? Oh, that's Sheik," the owner of the orphanage replied. "Sheik, come say hi!"_

_So the little Sheikah, with some prompting, stepped right outside his tidy room and muttered a quiet "Hello" while staring at the ground._

_"Hi there, Sheik," the lady stooped down to his level and gave a smile. "You're a cutie! I love your eyes… what a pretty shade of red. Like rubies."_

_"Thank you," he mumbled, scraping his toe along the ground. The man smiled at him and put a hand on his head. It was oddly comforting, he thought._

_"I think we've seen enough, right Laura?" the man said._

_"Right, Jack. May we go discuss important matters with you?" Laura asked the owner, who nodded._

_"Certainly."_

_A few days passed before Laura and Jack showed up at Sheik's door again. "Hello Sheik, how are you today?" Jack asked, ruffling his hair._

_"I'm well, and yourself?" he asked cordially, oddly comforted by the weight in his hair._

_"I'm excellent," Laura laughed. "You're a smart one, aren't you? And polite to boot!"_

_"How would you like to come home with us?" the grown man asked._

_"Home with you? As in… forever?"_

_"Yes, darling. We'll be your parents and you'll have a little brother named Link," she replied. He responded by hugging her tightly around the waist._

_"Please oh please tell me you aren't joking!" he said, clutching her shirt. Jack laughed softly as Sheik turned and tackled him._

_"Of course we aren't. We even have a surprise waiting at home. We just have to sign the papers," the man replied as he picked Sheik up and situated him on his waist. "Let's go home, son."_

_When Sheik arrived at his new house, he saw a child version of Jack playing with a little girl in the front yard. "Who's that?"_

_"That's your new little brother Link and his friend Zelda," Laura, who had chosen to sit in the back with him, said softly. He gently grabbed her hand, afraid to approach the two tykes. "Don't be afraid," she giggled and kissed his forehead. "They'll love you."_

_"Link!" Jack called. "Come meet your new big brother!"_

_"Big bwudder?" the little boy asked as he ran up to his mother. "Where is he?"_

_"He's right- Hey, where did he go?" Jack turned to see that the six year old had a vice grip on the back of his wife's shirt. "Sheik, meet your little brother."_

_The young Sheikah peeked out from behind his new mother and ducked back quickly. "Hello…"_

_"Whoah, his eyes are red! That's so cool!" Link gasped, trying to get another look._

_"R- really?" Sheik asked, peeking out again, a little longer this time._

_"Yeah! It's awesome! I wish my eyes were red," the five year old answered wistfully._

_Encouraged by his new brother's compliment, he stepped out from behind Laura and examined his little brother. "I like your ears," he offered._

_"Whoah! Linky, look, his eyes are red!" the little girl, who had run up from behind Link, stared at the older boy. "Hi, I'm Zelda Nohansen!" she exclaimed before catching him in a huge hug. "I know we'll be the best of friends!"_

_"Oh, um, I'm Sheik," he replied, blushing madly. He turned to see his parents whispering and looking their way as they waved to the neighbor watching the two kids._

_"Let's go play! I'll be the Princess and you'll be my guard!" she tugged on his hand._

_"Sorry Princess, but we have to show Sheik something first," Laura smiled and lead Sheik into the house. The whitewashed house looked just as bright and cheerful as it did on the outside. "Come on Sheik, I want to take you to your room."_

_Both parents took each hand and walked up the stairs to the first room on the left. "Here you are! I'm sorry it's so small, it's the best we could do," Jack apologized. "The owner of the orphanage told us that blue was your favorite color."_

_The walls were painted a soft blue, matching the fluffy-looking comforter on the full-sized bed. The windows were big, allowing sunlight to filter through. They had been left open so the white curtains could billow lazily with the breeze. Beside the modest-sized TV was a door leading into the small closet. In the middle of the white carpet was a box that moved every now and then._

_"Gee, I wonder what's in the box," Laura grinned and motioned for him to look inside. Slowly, Sheik walked toward the center of his new room and stood on his tip toes to glance inside._

_At the bottom was a puppy that peered up at him and barked curiously._

_"A puppy?"_

_"She told us you always talked about owning one," Jack explained. "We just want you to feel loved and comfortable in your new home," he continued while picking up the puppy out of the box and placing it in Sheik's arms. "Looks like it's a she! What are you going to name her?"_

_The young Sheikah petted the soft jet black coat as he thought. "Shadow Guide, after the Sheikah in the tale of the Hero of Time," he decided. It was his favorite story._

_"Good idea," his mother agreed, stroking the puppy. "You know, the Sheikah in that tale was named Sheik."_

_"Cool!"_

_"Let's call her Shadow for short," his father suggested. "Would you like to take Shadow outside and play?"_

_Sheik couldn't say yes fast enough._

OOO

As the now grown Sheikah reminisced, Shadow walked into the kitchen and looked at him with tired eyes.

"Yes, yes, I'll get you your food soon," he told her as he set the pancakes down on the table and reached into the fridge for her food. Only the best for his twelve year old dog. As he was filling her bowl, a tired looking Pink trudged down the stairs, yawning. "Well, good morning Sunshine. Go sit in the kitchen, I'll make you your food soon." As she nodded and complied, he knelt down and petted his faithful canine while she ate. "We've been through a lot, haven't we Shadow?" he chuckled. "I know it's almost your time to go… But until that day comes, you'll be my best friend."

Vaguely, Sheik could hear an argument breaking out from the kitchen about pancakes. With a sigh, he turned toward the kitchen to dispel it.

They never said being the oldest was easy.

* * *

><p>"Rauru…" The Hero that Time Forgot gasped, opening his eyes. "I can feel it! I know what's going to happen!"<p>

"Ah… So you understand that your work load is about to be quintupled?"

When the Hero blinked, his eyes took on green, red, purple, dark blue, and black flecks to his normal cerulean. "Yes." When he spoke, there were five octaves overlaying his voice.

"Then you must prepare Hero. Shadow Guide," Rauru turned to the Sheikah, who was looking at his best friend in concern. "Fetch the Princess from her slumber. The seal will break with or without her."

"Her?" the Hero no longer held that mysterious force from before. "But…"

"Hero," the Shadow said softly. "It is time you forgive and forget. If you don't want the Evil King to win, you must-"

"I don't care!" the blue eyed beast burst out. "She killed you, Sheik! She killed you, sent me back in time, and expected me to forget all about it! She expected us to be friends!"

"Link," in a rare show of tenderness, the Shadow used his name and cupped his face. "Please. Forgive her. If we are to defeat this evil. For me?"

With a sigh, the Hero placed a hand over his Shadow Guide's.

"For you."

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><p>So, in this short chapter you got more insight into Sheik and more of what's to come, right? :D Next chapter should be more on Zelda and the awakening of the Princess in the Sacred Realm! :O Well, I'd really appreciate reviews! :3<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

It's Just High School… Right?

A/N: I really need to stop taking on so many projects, I feel like I'm letting you guys down… *sigh*

Warnings: implications of abuse, truth or dare, a bit of roughing up from tiny kids, insults that would make kindergarteners gasp…

Disclaimer: I don't LoZ :C

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><p>The fight in the kitchen dissolved easily; turns out all it needed was Sheik holding Pink back (they get serious about pancakes) while promising he'd make more.<p>

"So Pink, we've been talking, Link and I," Sheik started as he watched the girl devour her food over the rim of his coffee cup.

"Yeah?"

"And your birthday is tomorrow…"

"Uh-huh?"

"So you'll be eighteen…"

"Get on with it Sheik," she rolled her eyes, knowing that her best friend was enjoying dragging this out.

"Well, we were wondering if you'd like to move in with us," Link took over.

The fork she was holding dropped with a clatter.

"What?"

"Would you like to move in with Sheik and I? I know you were planning on staying with your parents while going to the community college, but really with your grades you could get into Hyrule University no problem and this way you could either stay here during vacation or in the dorms whatever and-"

Pink interrupted the blonde's rambling with a glomp.

"Oof!" the fight with the pancakes was long forgotten as the food splattered on the floor. "Pink?"

She clung to the golden blonde tightly. "Yeah?"

"You spilled the pancakes. And the syrup."

"Who cares, I'm moving in with you guys," she laughed like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. The boys couldn't help but smile… until Link realized she was still clinging tightly to him.

"Well, maybe you should get off me and clean up the mess you made in our house," he suggested.

"Oh… Yeah, okay. I'll do that."

While she was cleaning, Pink couldn't help but grin. Moving in with her two favorite people in the world… It was like a dream come true!

Even more, she could get out of that house. It was disgusting. Every minute she spent in there made her gag.

It wasn't always like that, though…

After Sheik was introduced into the Kokiri family, everything went downhill. Her parents were lovers of the Hylians, and were deeply against the Sheikahs for their betrayal centuries ago. To have hatred span over that long a time… Well, it made the female think it would never get better. The Sheikahs would eventually die out and then the Hylians would have their "utopia." Indeed, the race was dying out quickly; it was believed that Sheik was the only Sheikah left in Hyrule.

If only her parents could accept Sheik as a part of her life—maybe then, she could be called Zelda without the pang it shot through her heart. Now, the name Zelda was tainted by the two who dared hate her best friend. The times before everything had turned bad were now a distant memory.

OOO

_"Sheiky!" Little Zelda waved excitedly at her best friend as she walked across the street to his house. "Guess what! It's my first day of school!"_

_"Cool! It's Link's too," Sheik replied. "I'm waitin' on him to come out 'cause I'm supposed ta protect him from bullies and kidnappers and murderers on the way to school," he continued, puffing his chest out proudly as Zelda stared at him with wide eyes._

_"Can you protect me too? Please, Sheiky? I don't wanna be murdered!" she cried, clinging to him._

_"Of course I can, Zelly! I'm really strong," he said with an air of importance. "I'll be your knight in shining armor and you'll be my princess, just like in those movies."_

_"'Kay!" she grinned and grabbed his hand, not noticing the faint blush upon his cheeks._

_When Link was ready, the trio set off towards school, since it was only about a block from their neighborhood. Sheik even escorted the two towards their classroom, acting like their parents._

_"Bookbag?" he asked._

_"Check!"_

_"Lunch?"_

_"Check!"_

_"Paper, pencil, school supplies?"_

_"Check!"_

_"Okay, you're ready," he nodded seriously. "I'll see you guys at recess."_

_With a high five from Link and a sloppy kiss on the cheek from Zelda, Sheik left for his classroom with the tiny female staring at his retreating back._

_"Are you ready, Zelly?" Link asked, small hand on the doorknob._

_"Y- yes."_

_Slowly, the two moved into the unknown._

_OOO_

_The first half of the day was alright for the most part. Zelda stuck to Link like glue until he went to play with the other boys._

_"Zelly, do you wanna color?" Link asked after awhile, finding his best friend playing with dolls by herself._

_"Yeah!"_

_After they finished coloring, it was lunchtime and then recess._

_Zelda ran outside to look for Sheik while Link ran off to play tag with the other boys. She eventually found him sitting alone on the jungle gym, staring at his classmates wistfully._

_"Sheiky!" With some difficulty, she climbed up beside him._

_"Hi Zelly. How's your day goin'?"_

_"Oh, it's been fun," she lied. "I, uh, made lots of new friends! What about you?"_

_"Nobody here really likes me," he replied, looking down._

_"Why?" Zelda gasped. Somebody not like Sheik? Impossible!_

_"Because of who I am," he whispered. "Because I'm a Sheikah, and their parents taught them not to like Sheikah."_

_"Well that's dumb!" she exclaimed valiantly. "I like you! And if they don't, well they're… they're… stupid poopyheads who smell bad!"_

_"It's lonely," he said softly. "I wish somebody would color with me, or play superheroes…"_

_"Hey, you two!" a boy with a bowl cut called up to them. "Did I hear you call us poopyheads?"_

_"Yeah!" Zelda yelled back, clearly afraid. "If you don't like my best friend, then you're a stupid dumb jerk!"_

_"Oh yeah! I'm not stupid!"_

_"Yes you are!"_

_"Am not!"_

_"Are too!"_

_The boy, clearly fed up with the girl arguing, grabbed her leg through the rails and attempted to pull her down. "Come down here and see how stupid I am!"_

_"Sheik!" she gasped, clinging to the rails as the boy pulled her down._

_"Zelly!" he grasped her hands, trying to pull her back up._

_"Help!" the bully grunted to his friends, who grabbed her other leg._

_"Sheik!" she sobbed, clinging to his hands. "Don't let go!"_

_"I won't!"_

_"You're letting go!" she replied as her hands started to slip._

_"My hands are sweaty!"_

_"Pull on the count of three!" the bully ordered his friends. "One… Two… Three!"_

_With a tremendous tug, Zelda was pulled out of her best friend's hands onto the mulch below._

_"My ankle!" she cried, holding it. "It hurts!"_

_The boys pushed her down onto the mulch, laughing. "Who's stupid now? You are! You're nothing but a stupid weak girl!"_

_"Zelly!" With the grace of a monkey, Sheik jumped down from the jungle gym and kneeled down next to his friend. "Are you hurt?"_

_"My ankle," she sobbed. "It hurts!"_

_Remembering the promise he had given to her before the start of school, the Sheikah stood up and raised his fists. "What's with you picking on girls! That's not nice!"_

_"Oh yeah?" the other boy asked. "You wanna fight?"_

_"Maybe I do!"_

_Unfortunately, the ruby eyed boy never got a punch in. Within seconds, the group of boys had surrounded Sheik, each hitting him as hard as they could._

_"Sheiky!" Zelda screamed, crawling towards the edge of the circle. "Leave him alone!" she cried, grabbing onto one of the boy's fists._

_"Get off me!" he yelled, shaking her off. She landed on the ground and stayed there, crying her heart out about how much her ankle hurt._

_"Gerroff me!" Sheik yelled in the middle of the circle, successfully kicking one of the boys. "Get off!"_

_Across the playground, Link had heard the commotion. Squinting, he gasped when he saw Zelda crying and a peek of honey blonde hair in the middle of a circle. Abandoning his game of superheroes, he ran as fast as his little legs allowed him too, skidding to a stop by the female._

_"What happened?"_

_"Those boys w- w- were picking on me a- a- an- and Sheiky and they grabbed me through th- t- th- the bars a- a- and hurt my ankle and then th- th- th- they started beating up Sheeeeeiiiiiiiikyyyyyyy!" she wailed, burying her face in his pants._

_Nodding, Link entered the fray. "Get off my brother!" he yelled, punching everyone he could. "Get off him!"_

_"Ow!" the boys who had gotten punched groaned. "Let's get out of here!"_

_The group scattered, leaving a very battered Sheikah in the process. "Link! You saved us!" Sheik gasped out through a bloody lip._

_"They were hurting you," Link replied simply. "I can't let anyone hurt my best friends."_

_"Er… Can you go get a teacher? I think Zelly's ankle needs to be looked at," Sheik said, pointing to the girl who had now curled up into a ball and wailed mercilessly._

_"'Kay." Link ran off, looking for apparently nonexistent teachers._

_"Zelly… You're okay," the Sheikah comforted, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. "Those bullies are gone now, thanks to Link! He's our hero!"_

_"You're my hero, Sheiky," she mumbled, nuzzling his cheek with her head. "You stood up to them after they hurt me!"_

_"I got beat up though… I'm no hero…"_

_"Yes you are," she argued stubbornly. "I don't care what anyone says."_

_When a teacher finally came around, she gasped at the seriousness of the children's injuries. "Who did this?"_

_"Stupid poopyheads, Ms. Farore," Link mumbled. Ms. Farore gave him a scolding look but did nothing else. He was already her favorite._

_"Well, we need to get you two to the nurse immediately. Link, help Zelda."_

_"No, I'll do it. I'm her knight," Sheik interjected, picking up his best friend and giving her a piggy back ride. The green haired teacher gave him a strange look but decided not to comment._

_"Sheik… you'll always be my hero," the little girl whispered into her best friends' back, making him smile while a faint blush spread across his cheeks._

OOO

The Sheikah had magically disappeared after breakfast, reappearing at lunch with a few suitcases and a grin on his face.

"I took the liberty of getting your stuff," he told the surprised Pink. "They were out, so I also left a note detailing where you've gone and why you won't come back, also reminding them that you are eighteen and therefore a legal adult tomorrow."

"Sheik," she breathed, hugging him tightly.

"Ah… Well, I am your hero, right?"

"Right," she smiled, not noticed the light blush sprinkled across his face. "Link went out with Malon. They should be back for dinner and they also talked about playing a game or something to that effect."

"Alright, as long as the house isn't trashed," he mumbled. "I remember the last time those two wanted to play a game…"

"Hey, she and I weren't the ones who brought out the milk," she pointed out, a mischievous sparkle in her eye.

"How were we supposed to know that was the milk her Dad ships to the milk bar! I just wanted a drink," he whined. "Link didn't even tell me her Dad shipped drink to a bar. Not my fault."

"So we'll play Truth or Dare after dinner," Pink continued, ignoring his excuses.

"But that game can turn messy-"

"So it's agreed! Great," she stuck her tongue out.

"Only you…" he rolled his eyes.

As promised, after dinner a game of Truth or Dare was established. The two girls giggled at Sheik who was, at the moment, feeding Link a marshmallow with a blush on his face.

"Come on Sheiky, it's not that bad," Pink said playfully. "Link enjoyed it."

"Nom nom nom nom nom," Link replied, chowing down on the white, fluffy treat.

"Nom," Malon agreed, stealing a piece from her boyfriend.

"Hey! My marshmallow!" the golden blonde male pretended to tackle his girlfriend, who shrieked. The started to wrestle, rolling around on the ground.

"Well then… Pink, truth or dare?"

"Truth, Sheiky," the blonde female smirked.

He thought for a moment as Link and Malon stopped wrestling. "Do you like anyone? Like like?"

The couple smirked at each other, knowing very well who Pink liked.

"Er… yes," she answered, blushing furiously.

"Who?" Link asked innocently.

"Yeah, who?" Malon joined in, glancing at Sheik with a devious smile.

"I believe you can only ask one question," Pink snapped. "Malon, truth or dare?"

"Dare!"

"I dare you… to let Link rummage through your purse."

"Zelda Pink Nohansen!" Malon wailed as Link eagerly grabbed her purse. "You knew he's been wanting to go through it!"

"Yep," the blonde smiled.

"Hm… lipstick, a mirror, chapstick, lipgloss-"

"Have enough lip products, Mal?" Sheik teased.

"- a notepad with my name scribbled all over it, candy, a jewelry case, and- what's this?"

"Never you mind," the red head muttered, making a grab for the bottle in Link's hand. He held it above her reach as he read the label.

"Red hair dye? You dye your hair?"

"W- w- well, there's no way hair can be this red naturally!" she defended.

"What's your natural hair color then?" he asked, a devious twinkle in his eye.

"Brown," she mumbled, her head held down.

"What? I can't hear you," he leaned closer.

"It's brown, idiot!" she burst out, her face red as a tomato. "Happy now?"

"Yes… I happen to like brunettes," he smirked.

"Oh, um, well… Sheik, Truth or Dare?" Malon attempted to take the attention away from herself.

"Dare, of course," he jokingly rolled his eyes as if it should have been obvious.

"I dare you to glomp your crush. And before you say you don't have a crush on someone, I know you do and I know exactly who it is," she said, crossing her arms.

"You like someone?" Pink asked. "Who- oof!"

Steeling his nerves, Sheik took a deep breath and tackled Pink before she could finish her question. "I think you know who."

"Oh… I guess so…" she replied, looking away.

"Erm… So… Do you, you know…"

"I have to pee!" Pink rushed off to the bathroom before Sheik could finish. After a second of silence, the other two burst out laughing.

"Did you see her face!" Link gasped out, clutching his sides.

"It was PRICELESS!" the redhead rolled around on the floor, tears spilling out of her eyes.

"What if that means she doesn't like me back? She did say she liked someone, that doesn't necessarily mean me," Sheik said, eyes wide.

"Oh, who else would she like? Mido?" Link snorted.

"Believe me, I'll get her out here, and you'll be pleased with the results," a still giggling Malon promised, sauntering to the bathroom to coax her best girlfriend out.

"Link. Truth or Dare?" Sheik asked quietly.

"Truth."

"Are you… in love with Mal?" Sheik asked.

"Er…" Making sure she was still at the bathroom, Link continued. "Yes. I'm pretty sure I am. But I don't want to tell her yet… What if she gets freaked out and breaks up with me?"

"Link, trust me, Malon is in love with you," Sheik said before leaning in and lowering his voice even more. "If you must know, she's enlisted the help of Pink and I to plan the perfect time to tell you."

"Okay… I'll tell her at Prom," Link decided. "That's only two weeks away. I can come up with something then."

"Prom…" Sheik groaned. "Do you think it'll be awkward now since Pink knows how I feel? Do you think she'll ask someone else? What if-"

"Dude," Link interrupted. "Mal's gonna come back with Pink any moment and you'll see that she likes you too. To be honest, she has for years. She told me she about her crush in fifth grade, and she told Malon you were cute in fourth. Trust me."

"…Okay," Sheik replied as Malon dragged Pink back in. "Okay."

"Sheik, have you gone?" Malon asked as she sat on top of the blonde female to keep her in place.

"Yes."

"Okay, Link, go," the redhead commanded, now resorting to pinning down her best girlfriend.

"Pink, truth or dare?"

"She picks truth," Malon grunted.

"Who do you like?" Link asked quickly.

"If you don't answer and run off, I'll give you a wet willy!" the redhead threatened, sticking her finger in her mouth.

"Okay okay! I like Sheik! Happy?" Pink gasped, attempting to lean away from the other girl's finger.

"Yes," the couple replied as Malon released the other female.

"So… are you two going to kiss now?" the faux redhead asked.

"Yeah, come on," Link urged.

"Link, truth or dare?" it seemed that the other two blondes had silently agreed to ignore their best friends.

"Truth," Link pouted.

"Are you in love with Malon?" Sheik cut in, smirking.

"Ah ah, only Pink can ask me!" Link said frantically.

"Okay. Are you in love with Mal?" Pink asked a little too innocently.

"I hate you…" he grumbled. "If you must know, yes I am."

"Link…" Malon tackled him. "I love you too!"

While the two hugged and kissed, Sheik and Pink stared at them with slight awkwardness. "Er… So…" Sheik started.

"Okay! Sheik, truth or dare?" Link asked, his arms around Malon's waist.

"Dare."

"I dare you to kiss Pink. Not a sissy kiss on the cheek, it has to be at least a peck on the lips," the golden blonde insisted.

Sheik didn't even know what hit him. Before he could even turn around, the blonde female grabbed ahold of his head, turned his face to hers, and gently kissed him. "There. Are you guys happy now?" she asked tiredly.

"Yes," the couple replied in unison yet again.

"Well, I'm tired. Pink, wanna come help me with my hair and then go to bed?" Malon asked, adding a yawn for effect.

"Sure," she muttered before hugging Sheik. "Night, dear. Let's talk in the morning."

With a chorus of nights to Link, the two girl trudged upstairs, leaving the boys staring at each other.

"…I'm never playing Truth or Dare again," Sheik stated.

"Me neither," Link agreed.

* * *

><p>The Hero of Time and Rauru watched the game take place from the Sacred Realm, smiles on their faces.<p>

"I'm proud of Sheik," the Hero announced. "He got his feelings out there and got the girl."

"Yes, but how long do they have left?" Rauru wondered.

"Rauru, Hero, the Princess is awakened," the Shadow Guide announced, appearing beside them. "Is that Sheik and Zelda?"

"Pink," the Hero corrected. "Yes, that's them. That's also Link and his girlfriend, Malon."

"Wasn't Malon the girl you saved from Ingo?" the Shadow questioned.

"Yes, that was her. So her hair color wasn't natural…" the Hero snickered. "I didn't think that color red was something she was born with."

"She's a pretty girl," the Sheikah commented.

"Yeah, she is. I probably would have fallen for her if I hadn't have met you," the Hero replied absently.

"I probably could have fallen for the Princess if it weren't for you," the Shadow answered.

"Is that so, Sheik of the Sheikahs?" a feminine voice questioned behind them, making the Hero freeze.

"It's been a long time… Princess of Destiny," the golden blonde said stiffly, turning around and bowing.

"Oh Link, Holder of the Triforce of Courage," Zelda frowned. "I wish you wouldn't treat me so."

"How am I supposed to treat you?" he ground out.

"As a friend," she suggested, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Never," he growled, ripping his shoulder away.

"You two," the Shadow cut in sharply. "Cut it out. If we are to help our descendants on their quest, we must focus. There will be new evils; evils even we haven't seen before. We must band together and cooperate, no matter what has stained our pasts."

"…Fine," the Hero and the Princess replied simultaneously.

* * *

><p>So, I think next chapter will go straight into the actionadventure part of this :D Care to tell me what you think? I give out cake~ review!


	4. Chapter 4

It's Just High School… Right?

A/N: Hello all! Prom/Zelda's birthday chapter FTW!

Speaking of prom, I'm going with my two best friends. I haven't gotten my dress yet, and it's in three weeks. Everybody else has had their dresses since January… whoopsies ^^;

On another note that has still nothing to do with the story but is more relevant than my prom dress- There's this author that goes by Cyrus Windfall, right? Their story, Band Camp Shenanigans, is off to a great start, and I'm pretty sure it will only get better. That's my not-so-subtle hint to tell y'all to read it. X3

Review Replies:

Cyrus Windfall(Oh look, I was just talking about you! :D): First of all, I'm so so so sorry for not acknowledging your review last chapter, I completely forgot about it *sweatdrop* anyways, that's exactly why I avoid truth or dare, because it usually ends with someone(ME) arguing and fighting with someone else because they have to do something completely and utterly embarrassing. Yeah. Link is always the Hero ^^ I strongly dislike racists. Mostly because even if it's a black guy hating on a white guy or a white guy hating on a black, I get the brunt of it since I'm biracial. At least if you're one color, you have somewhere to vent. I've been called a half breed before -_-'

Conner: Thank ya ^^

Disclaimer: I don't own LoZ

Long Author's note over! :D

* * *

><p>The next morning found Malon (her hair freshly dyed) and Pink trudging out of the guest (now Pink's) bedroom into the kitchen. They both sat down heavily at the table, glaring in the fluorescent lighting.<p>

"Happy Birth- whoah," Link stifled a snicker and sat down.

"What's so funny?" Pink croaked, turning her glare on him.

"I'm used to you two always freshening up before coming out of your rooms- now you have a bed head and squinty eyes," he laughed.

"Is there something wrong with how we look?" Malon ground out, giving her boyfriend the 'stop-talking-NOW' glare.

"No… it's actually kinda cute," the golden blonde replied, his features softening into a fond smile.

"I have to agree," Sheik said from the stove. "It's rare that girls stop caring how they look in front of everyone else. I'm flattered that you would share this with us."

"This… beautiful… image…" Link snorted before whipping out his phone and snapping pictures of the two girls, just as the blonde was about to sneeze and the faux redhead was yawning. "Now I can keep it forever…"

"Link Kokiri," Malon said slowly. "You have three seconds to delete that picture… or die."

"No way," the blue eyed male laughed, hugging his phone.

"Three…" Pink started, getting up from the table.

"Psht, as if you'd do something."

"Two…" Malon started walking to his side of the table.

"I dare you. No, I double-dog dare you."

"One!" the girls screeched together before tackling the youngest male.

"Be careful of the stove, it's hot," Sheik commented as he took out chocolate chip muffins. "And please don't knock the muffins over, I just used the last of the muffin batter and there's no more pancake batter."

The three seniors were too engaged in the three-way fight to pay attention to the oldest. The Sheikah sighed before sitting down at the table with his favorite coffee mug and the newspaper.

"Hey!"

"Almost… Got it!" the blonde female grunted, simultaneously pinning Link down and reaching for the phone. Malon was busy holding down his legs, growling each time he flailed.

"Stay down, Link. You're making this tougher on yourself," the redhead grunted.

"Never!" the pinned male howled, struggling more.

"Got it!" the blonde female shouted victoriously before scampering behind Sheik and deleting the offending photo. "Now pinky swear that you'll never take a picture of us while we're like this again!"

"Never!"

"Do it!" Malon started to bend his leg back, making him yelp in pain.

"You can't make me!"

"Wanna bet?" His leg was bent back farther, making tears spring into his eyes.

"Okay okay! I pinky swear!"

"No crosses count," Pink threatened while linking pinkies with him. Once she was satisfied that he wouldn't do it again, she handed him the phone. "I think you can let him up now, Mal."

"Fine. Maybe he's learned his lesson." Yeah, it wasn't a good idea to irritate the redhead in the morning. Her hair color might not be that fiery red, but her heart sure was.

"So, what's going on today?" Sheik asked conversationally once everyone had returned to the table (Link limping slightly).

"Link's taking Mal and I prom dress shopping," the blonde female chirped, chomping on a muffin.

"I am?"

"And then we're going to pick out party decorations for tomorrow. Even if it'll just be us four, Jack, and Laura, I want it to be special since it's her eighteenth birthday," Malon smiled and hugged her best girlfriend.

"We are?"

"And then maybe we'll see a movie," Pink concluded, ignoring the golden blonde who was staring dumbly at them.

"Sounds like a fun day. Can I come with?" the Sheikah asked, also ignoring his brother for kicks. "I should see what color my cummerbund and bowtie needs to be."

"…You're wearing a cummerbund and bow tie?" Pink asked, staring at him. "…Best prom date ever!" she exclaimed.

"I thought you'd like that, and I've worn a tie for the past two years so I wanted to mix it up. It is our last prom, after all."

"Our last prom…" Link sighed, a distant expression on his face. "It seemed like yesterday you and Pink was getting ready for your first prom."

"I know… Time has passed so quickly," Sheik agreed. "Soon, you three will be in college with me. We'll all be enrolled in Hyrule University, yes?"

"Yes, now that I've moved out of my parents' house," the blonde female said happily.

"And I know we've talked about me moving in," Malon said. "I think I'm going to; it'll beat the heck out of living in some dorm with a stranger. And I don't mind sharing a room with Pink if she doesn't."

"Of course I don't," the other female enthused. "You're my best girlfriend! Whatever's mine is yours!"

"Perfect," Sheik said. "With the bills split up between the four of us, it'll be so much easier. We don't have to work as much and we can afford more. Maybe if we save up, we can build an additional room for you Mal."

"Whatever's fine with me," she agreed. "Well then it's settled. I'll move in after graduation, right before that Disney World trip we planned."

"Sweet! All my best friends, living under one roof!" Pink cheered. "This'll be a fun house!"

"At any rate, graduation's in a few months which means we have plenty of time to plan until then," the Sheikah said. "Right now, how about we give the birthday girl presents?"

"Me first! Me first!" Link begged, racing upstairs to retrieve the package. "Here you go!"

She slowly unwrapped the green square shaped package to reveal a DS. "Link, you didn't-"

"Nope! That's really from Mom and Dad," he grinned. "This one's from me."

She opened the thin package to reveal a Kingdom Hearts game to go along with the DS. "Link!"

"What? I thought you'd like it, since you're into Disney and the Final Fantasy games I have and Mom and Dad really wanted to make sure you had something to play with 'cause what's the use in a DS if you don't have anything to play with-"

"Do me a favor and shut up," the blonde female grinned before kissing his cheek. "I love it. Thank you."

"Oh, and since I've defeated my Final Fantasy games, you can have those too."

"Really!" she squealed. "You're the best!"

"Yeah yeah, wait until you see what I got you," Malon smirked and handed her a pink package.

"…Anime DVDs?"

"I bought the ones you said you liked and then bought some I thought you'd be interested in," the redhead explained.

"Thanks so much Mal, I love it," Pink giggled, hugging her best girlfriend.

"Okay, my turn," Sheik said, presenting a blue rectangular shaped package. "I hope you like it."

"Of course I will," she insisted, unwrapping the paper. "I like anything you give- oh!"

She opened the velvet box to reveal a silver heart shaped locket necklace with a pink stone in the middle. She opened the locket to reveal a picture of the four of them from last year's prom, smiling and dancing like fools. Grinning, Malon fastened it around her neck.

"I wasn't sure what to get you because I knew Mom and Dad had gotten you a DS and Link some games. I also knew about the anime, so I didn't want to risk getting anything they bought… then I saw this in a jeweler's window and thought it was perfect."

"It must have cost a fortune!" she exclaimed, staring at the gleaming piece of jewelry.

He simply shrugged. "You're worth it."

"Wow… I'm out of my parent's house, I've moved in with the best friend's anyone could ask for, and I'm eighteen… this is the best birthday ever," she said dreamily.

"Go get dressed, birthday girl, we have to get a move on if we're going to get to everything today," Link interrupted her short monologue, poking her side. "You too, Mal!"

"We'll be down in ten," the redhead promised, pulling her friend up the stairs.

OOO

Two hours later found the boys sitting outside of the dressing rooms at a formal wear store, having already been fitted for tuxes.

"Sheeeiiiikkkkk," Link moaned, slouching.

"Yes, Link?" the older asked, immersed in the book he brought along with him.

"I'm booooooooreddddddd."

"That's not my problem. You should have brought something along to entertain yourself."

"I thought they were going to be done by now, though," the golden blonde groaned. "Why are they taking forever? They've already tried on like, two hundred fifty bagillion dresses."

"Because this is their Senior Prom, Link. It has to be perfect," Sheik sighed, seeing there was no getting through to his brother. "Here. Play Temple Run or Angry Birds or read fanfiction or something," he said while handing over his phone.

"'Kay." That managed to distract Link for about ten minutes. "I'm boooooooooored again."

"Buy some more apps then, whatever. Nothing over two dollars," the Sheikah warned, not looking up from his book.

Five minutes later, he heard giggling and knew that could only mean one thing- Link had done something stupid. Again.

"What did you buy?" Sheik groaned.

"Nothingggggggg…" the younger sing-songed, handing the phone over.

"…A period tracker, Link? How much did it cost?"

"It was free," Link insisted. "I just wanted to see your reaction."

"One more peep out of you and I'm taking it away," the older warned before handing over his phone again.

In a rare show of compliance, Link stayed quiet until Malon finally came out of the dressing room. "It's about ti-"

"Link? Are you okay?" Sheik asked absently, not looking up from his book. "What is it- oh."

"What? Is it too much? Should I go back and pick a different dress? I-"

"It's perfect," Link interrupted, getting up to hug his girlfriend. "I love it. Just look at yourself!"

The redhead spun around to face the mirror, smiling at what she saw. The strapless forest green dress flowed down to her knees, poofing slightly from the waist down. With it, she had paired gold flats that she knew she'd have to wear around the house to break in. "You're right. I look good. And the best part- it's within my price range AND I can get matching accessories!" she declared. "Oh, and Sheiky, Pink will be out soon enough. We haven't found quite the perfect dress yet, but we're getting there."

"Take your time," he replied. "You really do look beautiful, Mal."

"Thank you," she grinned and returned to the dressing room, chattering at the still changing Pink.

"Wow," Link declared. "This is going to be the best prom ever."

"Just don't screw it up," the Sheikah commented nonchalantly, returning to his book.

"Same to you," the younger retorted, playing with the phone once again.

In the dressing room, the girls were having a minor crisis.

"Erm… try the silver one again," Malon ordered, biting her lip. As soon as Pink shimmied into the frilly number, she shook her head. "The red one."

The garish dress was taken off as quickly as the silver.

"Why don't we go… with pink?" the red head suggested.

"I've gone in pink every year I've gone to prom," the girl muttered. "Sheik used the same tie twice because it was the exact same color."

"That's because it suits you, as your name suggests," Malon insisted. "We'll just go with a different shade this year. What type of pink was it?"

"Hot pink."

"Then we'll go with pale. It's more elegant anyways. I'll be right back." The redhead picked up the mountain of dresses and slipped out of the dressing room, leaving Pink in her underwear. "This is taking forever," she groaned, before whipping out her phone.

Back outside, Link glanced at the ringing phone in his hand. "Here, it's from Pink. I'm going to help Mal with dresses."

_Pink: I think we're going to go with pink again… but not a hot pink this time. A pale pink._

_Sheik: Well, pink does suit you… So does any other color, though._

_Pink: Suck up :P_

_Sheik: Link's helping Mal with dresses. What atrocities do you think he'll pick out?_

_Pink: Actually, if Link's helping, then we might find my dress._

_Sheik: …_

_Pink: I've been shopping with Link before. He has surprisingly good taste._

_Sheik: Good to know…_

The Sheikah stood up and strolled over to his brother, who was conversing lowly with Malon and comparing dresses. "Ah ah ah, not until we've decided the right dress," the younger ordered, shooing his brother away.

With a sigh, Sheik returned to his book.

"Pink, try this on!" Link ordered while lifting a dress over the door.

The blonde female surveyed the dress before putting it on. As promised, it was a pale pink. The bodice was snug, accenting her small chest and waist, before flaring out at the hips and all the way down to her feet. Link had shoved silver stilettos under the door, clearly intending for her to put them on. Already feeling her feet throb, Pink stuffed her feet into the heels before slowly opening the door to the dressing room.

"Perfect, Link," Malon beamed.

"You were the one who suggested we show off her shoulders with a strapless number," Link praised.

"You suggested the heels so she'd be taller and the one with the built in bra for a bigger chest," she congratulated.

"We're great," they said simultaneously.

Too caught up in their bragging on each other, Pink pushed passed them into the area where Sheik waited.

"Are you coming to get another dress, Link?" Sheik asked without looking up from his book.

"Actually, it's me. What do you think?" she asked hesitantly as Sheik finally looked up.

"I think… I… erm, wow," was all he could get out.

"What do you mean wow?" she asked. "Good? Bad?"

"Good, definitely good," he nodded furiously. "Just… wow."

When she finally looked into the mirror, she had to agree. "Link and Mal really know their stuff."

"You look like a real princess!" Malon exclaimed. "Oh, I have some silver bangles you can borrow to match your heels, and I think your necklace will be perfect…"

As the two girls moved back to the changing room, the Sheikah sat down with a shocked look on his face. Smirking, Link joined him.

"So, didja like it? I picked it out," the younger said proudly.

"It was perfect. Absolutely perfect," Sheik replied.

"I'm glad the shoes went well with it, I wanted to make sure she could wear her necklace with it," the golden blonde replied casually.

"I agree. I… wow. I have to say, this will be the best prom ever."

"Definitely," Link agreed as the two girls went to pay for the dresses. "As long as you don't screw it up," he mimicked, laughing at the glare his brother shot him.

"Link, we need your advice," Malon said seriously. "How should we wear our hair?"

"Something unique, that suits the dresses… Hm, Mal," he ran an eye over her curly locks. "I think you should pin some of your hair up and leave that part curly, then straighten the rest," he ordered, to which Malon nodded. "And Pink… I want ringlets. And bangs. Mal can cut those later."

"Cut… my hair?" she gasped.

"Don't worry, I didn't take that cosmetology class for nothing!" the redhead grinned. "I can do our nails, hair, makeup, the works. I'll even do it for free. You're welcome."

"Then why have we always gone to the salon?" Pink exclaimed. "I could have saved so much money!"

"I didn't take it until this year," Malon reminded her patiently. "We're going to look great. Well, greater than we usually do anyways."

"And that's why I love you," Link said, kissing her forehead.

OOO

The next day was the best day, as far as Pink was concerned. She got to see her pseudo-parents, Malon, Sheik, and Link showered her with attention, and there was chocolate cake.

"Pink," Laura hugged her pseudo-daughter. "Did you like our present?"

"I loved it!" she exclaimed. "It was absolutely amazing!"

"I picked it out," Jack grinned, wincing as his wife elbowed his ribs. "Okay, she helped. A little."

"I believe you Jack," Pink giggled and hugged her pseudo-father. "Thank you guys for coming!"

"Don't be silly, we haven't seen you in forever! We also want to see Malon, I've heard her and Link are getting pretty serious-"

"Laura! Jack!" Malon smiled at her boyfriend's parents. "How have you been? It's been so long since I've seen you two!"

"That's just what we were saying!"

As the three conversed, Pink wondered off towards Sheik, who was calmly eating a piece of cake.

"I assume this party is to your liking?" he asked, smiling at his best friend.

"Yes, it's great," she grinned and pointed to his cake. "Can I have a bite of that?"

"Why don't you just go get another piece?"

"I don't wanna."

With a fond sigh, the Sheikah fed his crush a piece of chocolate cake. "Sometimes you act like a spoiled princess."

"Maybe," she replied, resting her head on his shoulder. "But I'm your spoiled princess. And you're my knight in shining armor."

"And I always will be."

* * *

><p>"When we left, the seal had begun to crack," the Princess of Destiny told Rauru as they watched the four descendants.<p>

"It won't be long then…"

"This isn't fair!" the Hero burst out. "You've watched them! Things are _just now_ turning in their favor! They're supposed to grow old, have a happy life together… and they can't even have that…"

"Hero-"

"Don't 'Hero' me, Shadow Guide," the Hero that Time Forgot growled, making the Shadow flinch. "You saw how happy they were planning their lives together. And now you're telling me they most likely won't even have one night where they can enjoy themselves as teenagers in love. Isn't that how we were supposed to be, Sheik?"

"Link," the Princess interjected. "It can't be helped. It's either them or Hyrule's destruction-"

"And we always have to sacrifice someone for 'the greater good,' don't we Princess," the Hero ground out. "That's not fair. I really thought they'd have a chance to live a little before they got thrown into an age old battle. Link won't even be himself anymore…"

"It's something we can't help," the Shadow said firmly. "Listen to me, Hero. I'd love nothing more than to see Sheik propose to Pink and to watch them grow old together. Unfortunately, they and all other reincarnates will never know that joy. Whenever the three resurface, the King of Evil shatters his bonds. It is a cruel curse set upon us by Demise, but it's something we truly cannot do anything about. We're helpless."

"All we can do is watch and help from here," the Princess continued softly. "We can't be much help if we keep losing our temper and fighting like this, so please Link, Hero of Time, forgive me for at least this short amount of time so that we may lend our strength to our reincarnates."

"…I- I will. For them. So that they may have the future we could never enjoy," he muttered. "I'm doing it for them, and only them. Understand?"

"Y- yes," the Princess whispered. "I understand completely."

* * *

><p>Two weeks passed by in the blink of an eye and before the four teenagers knew it, it was prom night.<p>

The house was a flurry of activity as Link oversaw the girl's cosmetics, Sheik ran out to get corsages, Link ran around looking for various accessories and his tie, Malon bought some last minute jewelry from the Dollar Store, Pink reveled at the bangs her best friend had cut, Malon managed to burn herself while attempting to straighten her hair while simultaneously stuffing herself into her dress, Pink hogged the bathroom to do makeup...

"My my! What handsome young men and lovely young ladies!" Laura sighed as she entered the house, accompanied by Jack and Talon.

"I agree. I like your bangs, Pink," Jack said, winking at the girl who grinned back.

The four teenagers had gathered in the living room as they heard the front door creak open and were now eagerly awaiting for pictures to be over so they could go eat. True to his word, Sheik had indeed donned a cummerbund and bowtie, while Link was in the more traditional vest and tie.

"Okay okay, we can see you're eager to leave," Jack laughed after what seemed to be the thousandth photo. "Go eat."

"Whoo!" Link cheered, leading the stampede to the car. "Email us those pictures, 'kay? Love you guys!"

With that, the four teenagers were off to have what would presumably be the night of their lives.

First, a stop at IHOP was a must. The four best friends gorged on pancakes while excitedly speculating over what might happen.

"Who thinks I can go all night in these heels, raise your hand!" Pink exclaimed, her hand shooting up in the air. When nobody else's did, she slowly lowered her appendage and sulked. "I'll show you…"

"All I know is you both look perfect. Please wear your dresses for the rest of your life?" Link joked.

"Sure! I'll wear it to bed, and to clean around the house, and to Disney World-" Pink started.

"-And to the pool, and to our first day of college, and-"

"Okay, I get it," Link exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

After they were stuffed with pancakes, it was off to the local hotel's ballroom. When they walked in, they were a little disappointed.

"This looks kind of stupid," Link pouted.

"I don't like it," Malon muttered.

"Seaside Serenade? Really?" Sheik asked the air.

"How much do you wanna bet Ruto came up with this?" Pink asked as a lei was placed around her neck. "Talk about gaudy."

"Oh well… let's dance!" Malon said as an upbeat tune came to life. She whisked Link away to the middle of the dance floor (which was empty, I might add) and proceeded to dance ridiculously, goading everyone to laugh.

"I hope they know she's dancing like that on purpose, to make fun of them," Sheik shook his head.

"Well, our classmates are idiots," Pink replied. "Hey… can I… talk to you?"

"Erm, sure. Of course. What's up?"

Pink took a deep breath before replying. "I like you, you like me. Wanna date?"

"…" Sheik burst out laughing. "That's how you ask someone out?"

"Look, I've never had to do this before!" she pouted. "Well, do you?"

His laughter dimmed into a soft smile. "Of course."

"Then it's settled," she nodded before kissing him. "Let's go act like fools with our best friends."

With all four of them out their dancing awkwardly, the whole ballroom was soon dancing to the music. Satisfied that they had done their job, the gang retreated to a table and collapsed in the seats, idly chatting until Malon suddenly stood up. "I love this song," she explained before holding her hand out to her boyfriend. "Care to dance?"

Link took note of the slow tempo before answering. "I'd rather not."

"Why?" she whined.

"Because… because…"

"Because I would like to dance with you," Sheik proposed, grinning at his brother's grateful look.

"Uh, okay. Let's go Sheiky."

When the two were waltzing around, Pink turned to Link. "Okay, spill. Why didn't you want to dance with her?"

"Because… I CAN'T DANCE!" he wailed dramatically. "I was able to hide it from her last prom, but she'll want at least one slow dance this prom and-"

"Come with me," Pink said simply, whisking him away.

OOO

"Why won't he dance with me?" Malon asked Sheik. "Do I smell? Is there pancake in my teeth? Do I look bad?"

"No… don't tell him I told you this, but he can't dance," the Sheikah snickered.

"Oh… is that all? Why wouldn't he tell me?" she pouted.

"Because he's embarrassed- ah, see? I bet Pink's gone to teach him how, " Sheik pointed to the empty table.

OOO

"Okay, one-and-two-and OW! Link, stepping on your partner's feet is not okay!" Pink fussed as he looked ashamed.

"I told you I can't dance!"

"Okay, let's just… do it again," she muttered, grabbing his shoulders as he took hold of her waist. "One-two-three-four, one-two-three-four… very good! You're ready!"

"You promise?" a wide-eyed Link asked.

"I swear," she replied solemnly, hand over her heart.

"Well then… I'm going to go try my luck," Link said determinedly.

"Good luck! Break a leg… as long as it's not yours or Mal's," she called.

"I'll try," he muttered before reentering the ball room.

Shaking her head, the female blonde limped into the ballroom, finding her boyfriend at the edge of the gyrating throng. "Would you like to dance?"

"Ah… I'd like to sit awhile. Link did a number on my feet," she winced.

"Alright," he chuckled and helped her to a table, where they watched Link and Malon waltz around. The redhead was bravely refraining from wincing whenever Link stepped on her feet.

"How does she do it?" Pink groaned.

"Who knows?" the Sheikah shrugged.

At that moment, a scream echoed through the crowd. The music was abruptly cut off and the lights brought up as everyone turned toward the source of the noise.

There, a girl lay, a knife installed into her neck and blood pulling around her feet.

Horrified, Pink barely registered her boyfriend tug her towards her other two friends, who looked as shaken as she felt.

"What happened?" Sheik demanded.

"We were dancing and- she screamed, and we watched a knife literally float up and impale itself in her neck," Link explained, wrapping and arm around the waist of the sobbing Malon. "I don't even know where the knife came from…"

_Shadow Guide…_ A voice resonated in Sheik's head.

"What?" he asked the air.

"What is it?" Pink gave him a strange look.

"Nothing," he shook his head.

_Shadow… you and your friends are in grave danger._

_Sheik of the Sheikahs and descendant of the Shadow Guide of legend… take your friends and run._

_Run as fast as you can to the Temple of Time._

_Run._

_NOW!_

"Yeah, okay," Sheik shivered. "Come on, we're going to the Temple of Time museum. Stay close together, okay? Link hands."

Sheik grabbed Pink's hand, who grabbed Link's, who grabbed Malon's. Satisfied, Sheik started to move towards the exit and out to the parking lot, into their car.

There, a man with olive skin awaited them, grinning.

"I take it you saw my warning," he started in his deep voice. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ganondorf Dragmire, better known as-"

"The King of Evil," Pink breathed.

"Excellent, you know me," he beamed. "You are Zelda Pink Nohansen, the descendant of the Princess of Destiny. You are Sheik Shadows, descendant of the Shadow Guide. And you are Link Kokiri, descendant of my worst enemy, the Hero of Time," the man said pleasantly. "But you," he pointed to Malon, "are nothing more than a descendant of a lowly peasant. But I see you are dear to the three important players in this game. So I shall take you for my own."

"No, Malon!" Link shouted as she was lifted up in the air, a glowing red crystal surrounding her form. Her eyes were wide with horror, and she kept mouthing "HELP" over and over.

"Let her go!" Pink growled, charging at the man.

"Ah ah ah, Princess," he laughed lightly. "I'll not take you yet. Be patient."

"Pink!" Sheik yelled as she was blasted to the side.

"Until we meet again," Ganondorf smiled and disappeared.

Sheik kneeled by his fallen girlfriend, four things popping into his head.

_One._ A madman claiming to be the King of Evil randomly appeared after a girl had been murdered, taking Malon with him.

_Two._ His girlfriend (who the madman said he would abduct when the time was right) was unconscious, his brother going into shock.

_Three._ He heard voices in his head, telling him to go to the Temple of Time.

_Four._ He had no clue what was going on, except that Prom was definitely over.

* * *

><p>The Hero watched the scene unfold from the Sacred Realm with clenched fists.<p>

"We can't do anything Link. We're here, out of the danger. Even if we tried, we couldn't do anything except give them hints," Zelda consoled, watching her descendant fall to the ground with sad eyes.

The Hero acted like he heard nothing, instead watching his descendant sob as his girlfriend was taken away. He remembered feeling that hopelessness… and started to weep himself.

"Hero… do not shed these tears yet. They are too precious to lose now," the Shadow wiped his cheeks. "Besides… the worst has not yet come to pass."

* * *

><p>What's this, me updating two long (for me) chapters in one day? :O I feel the carpal tunnel coursing through my veins….<p>

Review, please! I accept anonymous reviews! :D

…I just realized none of this fic had anything to do with High School besides prom in it… O.O


	5. Chapter 5

It's Just High School… Right?

A/N: Spring Break is almost over… *sad panda*

At least in this chapter things finally start to kick off! :D

I'd expect most of the Zelda characters and story points in each game to show up (except for the ones I have no knowledge of- LttP, Legend of Zelda 2- and Aryll unless I can find some way to squeeze her in) as I am squishing everything together, though it'll mostly be OOT's plot.

Warnings: a tiny bit of violence, graphic descriptions of a certain someone' death, Link being even more chaotic than usual, Zant freaking out, really angry ancestors….

Disclaimer: I don't LoZ :C

* * *

><p>Once Sheik had coaxed Link into standing and heaved Pink over his shoulder, he made his way into the Temple of Time museum. As expected, the Temple was locked, but that was no problem for a Sheikah.<p>

"Nnh… My head…" Pink slowly opened her eyes to see she was staring at a very, very tall ceiling. "Where am I?"

"The Temple of Time museum," Sheik answered, moving over to her and helping her sit up. "How do you feel?"

"My head hurts. A ton," she grumbled. "Where's Link?"

"He's over there, by the jewels," the Sheikah pointed out the golden blonde. "Be careful talking to him, anything that even remotely reminds him of Mal sets off another fit…"

"Will do," she replied.

The trio of blondes sat for awhile, listening to the sounds of chaos outside.

"It sounds horrible out there," the female murmured, resting her head on her boyfriend's shoulder.

"Yeah," he agreed. "He must have set his minions loose."

"Must have…"

_Princess…_

Pink shot up. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Sheik asked, raising a brow.

"A voice similar to my own just echoed in my head…"

"Maybe it was your thoughts?"

_Princess of Destiny… pick up the ocarina and open the Door of Time._

"No… it was most definitely not my thoughts," Pink said slowly, staring at the blue ocarina in its display case. Something about it felt familiar…

"Well… something similar happened to me, except it was my own voice resonating in my head," the honey blond admitted. "He's the one that told me to come here."

_Princess of Destiny, open the Door. The path will then be revealed._

"I…"

"Pink?"

Ignoring Sheik's calls to her, the female slowly walked towards the case holding the ocarina as if in a trance. With great care, she lifted the glass lid and caressed the blue instrument, looking as if it was begging to be played. She examined the polished ceramic before bringing it up to her lips, blowing softly only to be startled by the crystal clear note that was borne into the air. Suddenly, with no control over her fingers, the blonde female played a low, haunting tune that reverberated around the room.

"What the…" Pink surveyed the instrument only to be startled as she heard stone scraping against stone. "Sheik?"

"A door just opened," the Sheikah announced. "It was hidden within the walls."

"What's behind it?"

"Hm…" Sheik glanced in the room and his eyes widened. "The blade of legend… The Sword of Evil's Bane…"

"The Master Sword," she breathed, eyes widening as she realized what was about to take place. "Link," she turned to her friend, who had not moved at all. "You must take the sword."

"But I've never trained with a sword before," he frowned.

"You must take it," she insisted as she pushed him into the tiny room.

"It's impaled in stone, I can't pull that out-"

"Just try!" Sheik and Pink burst out simultaneously.

"Fine," the golden blond muttered, taking a firm grip on the sword before pulling…

A white light surrounded the room as the sword slid out of the stone like butter.

"What's happening!" Pink shrieked as she covered her eyes with the crook of her elbow.

"I don't know!" her boyfriend replied, doing the same with his eyes and gripping her waist firmly.

As the light died, they expected to see their best friend holding the blade triumphantly.

They couldn't have been more wrong.

OOO

In place of Link, there stood four replicas. Each had on a tunic that matched their eyes- green, blue, red, and purple- and each looked exactly like the golden blonde. They were still as a statue for a split second, holding their swords in the air, before it became chaos.

The four clones ran around, calling each other's name (or rather, color) and arguing.

"Excuse me," Sheik stopped the blue-clad one. "Who are you and where is our friend?"

"Get off me, Sheik!" he yelled before pushing the Sheikah away roughly.

"What's going on?" Pink asked with frightened eyes.

"Allow me to explain, Princess," the purple eyed one said smoothly, seeming to be the only calm one of the group. "When your friend Link took the sword, it was acknowledged that this fight was too big for three people alone. Therefore, we were split into four, each with a certain aspect of Link's personality. Blue is anger, Red is innocence, Green is courage, and I, Vio, am the smarts.

"As we are essentially Link, we have all his knowledge, his memories- that is why we know who you guys are and, after the shock of being split into four again wears off, will treat you as Link did. Right now, those three are just surprised at being split and the loss of Malon, but soon they will calm down and we will explain everything we know together," Vio finished. "Please, do not be alarmed. I'm sure once the King of Evil is defeated, we can change back into Link. You will have your best friend back, rest assured," the purple eyed one smiled.

"Oh… erm, thank you for explaining," Pink replied, still not sure of what was going on.

"Don't put false hope into them Vio," Blue grunted before facing them. "We will never change back into Link. Once we are separated, we are our own people. We create our own memories, have minds of our own. Get used to it. If you want your precious Linky, Green is the most like him."

"Blue, don't be so rude!" Red scolded. "There's still a chance we can turn back into Link once the quest is over, I wouldn't stress too much over it!" he chirped.

"Red is always the optimistic one," Green smiled. "Honestly, I won't make any promises to you. We won't know until Ganondorf is defeated, but I wouldn't stress too much."

"Are… are you saying Link is gone?" Pink asked.

"No," the four said simultaneously, their eyes flashing a light blue. "He's right here, in front of you."

"We are Link, Princess," Vio said. "We are just different aspects of him. We still have his memories, his thought processes- we are, at the end of the day, one being. And his name is Link Kokiri."

"Wow…" Pink sat down heavily on the ground, covering her face with her hands.

"Princess?" Vio asked. "Are you okay?"

"She's fine," Sheik said as he kneeled down beside her. "You can't expect her to take all of this lightly."

"Agreed," Green said, also kneeling down beside her. "I understand. Pink, it's okay. It hurts now, but it will get better in the end."

"We still love you, Pink!" Red said as he hugged her. "We always will, four Links or no!"

"Calm down, okay? You'll get used to it, all Zeldas do eventually," Blue commented.

"Princess, I did not mean to shock you," Vio said carefully.

"It's… it's okay," she said, tears escaping her eyes. "It's just… we just lost Malon not two hours ago and now we've lost Link too… It's not fair," she sobbed.

"We know it's not," Green whispered as he gathered her in his arms. "We don't think it is, either. Of course, I'm happy to be four again, but it's never fair to the people who were closest to Link. What would… What is Malon going to think? She'll be devastated," he said softly, a stricken look in his eyes as he thought of his- technically, all four Links'- girlfriend.

"If he was here, he would hold me exactly as you are," she choked out. "I should be comforted by this, but I'm not because you aren't him and there's a big chance I'll never see him again!"

"Pink…" Red held back tears as he also held her.

"I wish we could help," Vio said softly. "But there's nothing we can do except defeat the Evil King."

"He's right," Blue nodded. "The sooner we defeat Ganondork, the sooner we see if we change back into Link."

"Blue! Don't call him that!" Green said. "He's a much more serious threat than you think, even bigger than Vaati!"

"Yeah, sure, bring it on. I bet I could send him crying for his mommy with my hands tied behind my back," the blue eyed one scoffed, swinging his sword around.

"At any rate, we should get some rest," Vio said. "In the morning, we'll start the quest."

A few hours later found them snacking on food from the gift shop (it was a museum, after all) and chatting idly. Pink sat by herself, munching on a bag of chips and staring into space.

_Princess. Take the Sage's Sword from the Pedestal… In the corner of the Room of Time… lies the Sage's Sword. Lift it from its pedestal._

Curious to see whether she was going crazy, the female stood up and walked into the once hidden room, ignoring the calls and questions behind her.

Sure enough, off to one corner sat a smaller pedestal than the one that held the Master Sword. In it was a beautifully engraved sword, almost too adorned to look like it should be used in battle.

_Take it and use it valiantly… Princess of Destiny._

Doubting she could even budge it, the Princess was surprised when the sword lifted out of its sheath like a knife cutting through butter. Fascinated, she swung it around a few times, reveling in how it fit naturally… almost like it was made just for her.

_Princess Zelda, take the Rod of Fire and present it to the one called Red._

Now comforted that the voice was someone to be trusted, she searched for the Rod. It was on display, so she lifted the glass case of and took it in her hand, handing it to the red-clad Link.

"What's this?" he asked, before looking it over. "Oh! It's my Fire Rod! I was wondering where this thing had gone!"

"Great, he has his magic stick…" Blue rolled his eyes. "Now he can resume 'accidently' burning me."

"It was an accident Blue, I swear!" Red pouted.

"You two, cut it out," Green mumbled as he curled up on a fleece blanket. "I'm too tired for this."

"I can't help but wonder…" Vio murmured to himself, deep in thought.

"What is it, Vi?" Pink asked.

"Well, there's another one of us. From the shadow world. His name is Shadow, obviously. He hides in our shadow until night time, when he can come out… but I haven't seen him moving around in any of our shadows and it's nighttime but he isn't here."

"Maybe he hasn't been summoned from the Shadow World yet?" she suggested, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Maybe… but all the other times we've been separated, he was with us immediately. I hope nothing's happened to him…"

"I've been wondering," Sheik piped up. "Why do you guys keep talking like you know of past lives? Are you immortal?"

"No, we are not immortal by any stretch of the imagination," Green laughed. "Blue might think so-"

"Shut up!"

"- but we still get sick, and we can be killed by anything even remotely dangerous. We know of our past lives because once we die, we get sent to the Sacred Realm. There, we are placed in a deep slumber until we are called on to save the world. We grow old, we die. That's it."

"Then how are you the same age as Link?" Pink asked.

"We… don't actually know," Green shrugged.

"And you've said 'all past Zeldas.' Does that mean we get reincarnated too?" Sheik wondered. It was almost a scary thought.

"There has always been a Zelda in need when we are reincarnated," Green explained, "But only a few times have there been a Malon and though you have been reincarnated once, this is the first time we've encountered you Sheik. The Goddesses work in mysterious ways, all we can do is speculate."

"Enough discussion for right now, though," Vio ordered. "We need to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow."

"Right. G'night, Pink!" Red glomped her before curling up between Green and Blue on the fleece blankets.

"Princess, I will go get you some blankets," Vio said before getting up.

"I'll help!" Red chirped.

"Me too!" Green headed in the direction they went in.

"I guess I will too," Blue grumbled before following them.

"Wow… they really treat me like royalty," Pink said as she leaned against her Sheikah.

"Well… you _are_ royalty, you know," he replied, placing his arms around her.

"It's just so hard to believe. One minute we're dancing at Prom and the next we're finding out that we're descendants of people who once saved Hyrule."

"It's almost an information overload," he agreed.

"Here you go Princess," Vio draped a blanket over her shoulders before taking the one from Green and folding it into a makeshift pillow. "This isn't up to par with normal royalty standards, but it's all we have. Please forgive us."

"Vi, I've been living in a disgusting house almost all my life. To be treated like you guys are treating me makes me feel like the princess I'm supposed to be," Pink said as she smiled. "Believe me, this is enough."

"Soon, when this is over, you'll be treated like a true princess," Green said. "Your status won't go unnoticed."

"Thank you guys," the female blonde smiled tiredly before she literally fell over and started snoring.

"She's exhausted," Sheik said as he smoothed her hair back.

"I know… it's all the stress inflicted on her body," Vio sympathized. "We need to sleep too…oh, well, half of us are already there."

Indeed, Blue and Red had keeled over and were now curled up.

"I'll keep watch," Green offered as he examined his sword. "I don't think I could sleep now anyways, not with everybody in immediate danger."

* * *

><p>The Princess of Destiny, the Hero of Time, and the Shadow Guide watched as Link split into four and everyone fell asleep.<p>

"So it has truly begun," the Hero whispered.

"All we can do is speak and give them some mediocre magic," the Shadow said. "What I wouldn't give to be down there, helping them fight…"

"You do realize that they will have to go through more than we did to defeat the King, right?" the Princess asked.

"Seeing as I never split into four on my quest, yes," Link growled. "They'll face evils I have defeated countless times while you were locked away, waiting to be saved like the sniveling brat you are-"

"Hero!" the Shadow snapped. "We agreed we'd put aside our differences! Do you realize how they could fail at any second if we aren't there to watch over and warn them?"

"Sorry," the Hero of Time muttered.

The Princess cast him a sideways glance. "You know Link, we can't go on with this animosity forever. Our descendants get along so well-"

"The day you killed Sheik was the day you listed me as an enemy," he said, dangerously calm.

"It was written in the prophecy," she said calmly. "Sheik knew it was coming. I even made sure he wouldn't feel it when I sunk that blade into his stomach."

"Stop it," the Hero that Time Forgot whispered, grabbing his head.

"What, does the Hero not like it?" the Princess mocked. "Does the ickle Hero not like it when I talk about how I sunk that razor-sharp, gleaming blade into his soft, tender flesh-"

"Princess!" the Shadow yelled. "That's enough!"

"When he crumpled to the floor, his sweet crimson blood pooling around our feet, the metallic smell filling the air…"

"Stop," the Hero said, louder this time. "Stop it now…"

"What were his last words again? 'I love you Link?'" the Princess smirked. "And what did you do afterwards? Kill yourself? You did the world a lot of good."

It wasn't such a surprise when the Hero started to charge at the Princess with a scream of rage. The Shadow managed to hold him back as the female stood there with hands on her hips.

"The day you declared your hate for me was the day _you_ became _my_ enemy, Hero. I have tried to make amends with you, but you are not willing to cooperate for our descendants. If this is the way you will it, then I will not hesitate to turn the Princess against your Links."

"You wouldn't dare," the Shadow whispered as he held back Link.

"Just watch me," she replied before turning back to the image of her descendant sleeping. _"Princess,"_ she called. _"Listen to me. These Links are not to be trusted; they are a farce. They destroyed your Link. Ally with Ganondorf… or die by their hand._

_"Sheik is not to be trusted either. He is plotting with the false Links as we speak. He plans to kill you and rule Hyrule in a dictatorship. He is using you. Leave them… or die. You have been warned."_

"No!" It was the Shadow who tackled her to the ground. "No! You are messing with the Prophecy! The King of Evil will prevail!" As the Hero pinned her, Sheik stared down at the image of Pink stirring.

_"Sheik,"_ the Shadow Guide said urgently. _"Sheik, the Princess is being manipulated. Keep an eye on her, whatever you do. Wake up, Sheik. Wake up…"_

The Princess stirred and finally awoke

_"Princess. Kill the Green Link. He is the leader of it all."_

_"Sheik, awaken. She will kill Green. Wake up. Sheik!"_

They watched (the Shadow and Hero in horror, the Princess in satisfaction) as Pink woke up and sat up suddenly. Green jumped up, seemingly asking her what was wrong. Instead, she took out her sword and stabbed his leg. He fell to the ground, screaming and clutching his bleeding appendage as the others woke up.

_"Princess… if you value your life you will leave now. Find one of Ganondorf's allies. They will take you to him. Ally with the King, Princess. Now's the time…"_

Pink fled the Temple as Red and Vio swarmed the screaming Green. Blue and Sheik tried to prevent Pink from leaving, but she shoved past them as if in a trance and raced into the world below.

"You have condemned us all!" Rauru yelled as he rushed onto the scene. "Leave, Princess of Destiny- you do not even deserve your title anymore! Zelda Nohansen, you are now exiled from the Sacred Realm and you will be sent to a trial by the Goddesses themselves!"

Zelda smirked. "Let the real fun begin."

* * *

><p>…I didn't even expect that. It all just kinda showed up as I typed stuff XD Review? :3<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

It's Just High School… Right?

A/N: Since Spring Break is over, I'm going to try my best to update on the weekends. On another note, we just did three performances of CATS yesterday, and now it's over. The curtain call for the last performance was full of tears, as was the curtain call for elementary and school… I'm going to miss the seniors so much

On yet another note… I'm going Prom dress shopping. Again. Wish me luck!

Review Replies:

Cyrus Windfall: I guess you could say I'm anti-Zelda, but only in OOT. As I've explained through PM, it's an interesting plot point… but there's something symbolic I'm going with this too, seeing as I can take advantage of having two Zeldas. Maybe you can figure it out within the next few chapters ;)

Thank you for being a consistent reader, it means a lot! ^^

Conner: I am aware of the Four Sword. However, I decided to bend and shape things to my will. It IS Fanfiction, after all. Thank you for being a consistent reader too! :3

Krystle171: A new reader! I really hope you'll review in the future :D thank you so much for your praise! And as for ZeldaxSheik, I was wondering if anyone would be against that because of the whole "Sheik-is-Zelda" thing, so thank you for supporting it ^^

Warnings: implications of an eating disorder, angsting princesses, crazy Twili...

Disclaimer: I don't LoZ :C

* * *

><p>Pink fled into the night, guilt ripping through her chest as the image of Green on the floor, holding his leg and screaming, seemed burned into her mind.<p>

It was chaos, to put it simply. The streets were destroyed, flaming cars were everywhere, people were screaming and pushing each other… she didn't seem so out of place in her prom dress.

She ran for miles, never stopping once, until she made it to the countryside. She turned to look at her home once more, only to see the sky aglow with embers from fires everywhere and a tower constructed in the very heart of her beloved city. Swallowing tears and taking a deep breath, she turned around with the intent of never going back.

She couldn't, she just couldn't. The five were surely on the hunt for her now… even Sheik…

The Princess didn't know what was happening until the deed was done, really. She just heard that comforting, soothing voice in her head, telling her the Links and Sheik were not to be trusted. Honestly, it was like she was watching from the sidelines as she pulled out her sword and stabbed him. Never ever would she do that, not even if they had attacked her.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair and she knew it. She blamed the voice. She blamed the Links and even Sheik.

She blamed herself.

Sheik... What did Sheik think of her now? Did he still like her? Did he hate her? Were they now enemies?

So many questions, and no answers.

Completely exhausted, she fell to the ground, out in the open. She didn't care that the forest a few miles in front of her seemed full of life. She didn't care about the desert stretching for miles off to the side. She simply drank from the gurgling stream and dropped to the ground before her eyes closed of their own will.

OOO

"Hey, is that...? Zant! Zant, come look over here!"

Pink groaned but didn't open her eyes. Didn't they understand she was trying to sleep?

"Zant, it's Pink!"

"Leave her. She looks half dead."

"Zaaaant!"

When she finally opened her eyes, the Princess was met with an odd sight. Peering down at her was one of her classmates, while another was off to the side, cooking what seemed like fish over a roaring fire.

"Ruthie...?" Pink asked as she rubbed her eyes. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me. We saw you near Saria at Prom and then you disappeared with Sheik, Malon, and Link... I thought you four were dead."

"You were at Prom? But you're only a sophomore," the blonde replied, running an eye over the girl's light brown hair styled in a pixie cut, her lime green poofy dress that went down to her knees, and the pink leg warmers and green Toms she wore. _She's like a blast from the past_, Pink thought.

"I went with Zant," she explained. Indeed, the boy was dressed in a tuxedo. "The important thing is, you're alive. Where's the other three?"

The blonde stared at the ground. "Mal... Was taken. Sheik and Link... I don't know where they are."

"Oh..." the sophomore was silent for a moment. "Well hey, you could travel with us! I don't know where we're going, but Zant's leading us somewhere good apparently."

"We're going to Kakariko," the boy turned his big eyes on her. "I have business I need to attend to."

Pink thought for a moment, staring at the fire. "...I'll come with you. I have a sword, and though I may not be skilled at it, I may be of some use."

"You have a sword?" Ruthie asked, surprised. "Where did you get it?"

"I... That doesn't matter."

"That's okay, Zant gave me the knife he always has on him," the sophomore said, pulling it out.

"Why... Why do you always have a knife on you?" the Princess asked, taken aback.

"You never know when danger will strike," he said, training his unblinking stare on her. "I'm always prepared to protect Ruthie and I."

"But if she has the knife-"

"I never said that was the only weapon I carry with me."

_I dunno..._ Pink thought. _He's always seemed a little on the loony side, and now that I know he carries weapons everywhere..._

"Do not be alarmed. Ruthie knows what to do if I turn 'loony,'" the male said.

"How did you-"

"I just did."

"Zant, don't freak her out," the sophomore scolded. "You said it out loud."

"Oh."

"Are you hungry? We ate before we went to Prom, so you can have my portion," Ruthie offered. "I don't mind."

"Oh no, I managed to get some food before I ran here. You eat yours, I'll be fine," the blonde said, eyeing the sophomore's figure. She looks like she could use a nice, home-cooked meal.

"Zant, I can't eat this much," the girl said, picking at the bit of fish in her lap. "Do you want it?"

"No. Eat it."

"But-"

"You know as well as I do that you can eat that much, you just don't want too," he said simply, turning his bulbous eyes on her.

"But I ate so much of it!"

"You only ate two bites."

"I don't want anymore of it," she pouted.

"Just eat and I won't complain."

"But-"

"No buts. Eat or I will force it down your throat."

Apparently it was a threat to be taken seriously, because the younger female gulped and ate the rest of her meal. "Now I'm bloated."

"No you're not," Pink said as Zant opened his mouth. "Frankly, you were in need of a good meal."

"Told you."

"I think you two are against me," Ruthie replied. "Who's taking first watch?"

"I will," Zant said. "You two get some sleep."

"I'll take second watch, so wake me up in a few hours, okay? Night Pink," Ruthie yawned before snoring.

The blonde curled up on her side, staring into the flames of the fire. Just a few hours ago, she was dancing with her boyfriend (ex-boyfriend? Goddesses, she didn't know) and having the time of her life with her friends.

Now she was on the run from her boyfriend, her best friend who had split into four personalities, and was traveling with a rather odd couple.

Life was weird.

"You can sleep, you know. I won't hurt you," the male said without turning around.

"Erm... Okay. Night." Pink allowed herself to drift off into unconsciousness, hoping that this time she wouldn't try to kill the people she was traveling with.

When Pink woke up, Zant was standing over her. "You... You're trying to kill my God!"

"What?"

"The Princess must be killed!" he shreiked. "The Princess of Destiny will kill my God if I don't kill her!"

"Zant-"

He let out an unearthly scream as two blades suddenly appeared in his hands. The Princess was just able to get up as he began slashing everywhere, his moves sporadic.

"Zant!" Ruthie grabbed him from behind.

"Ruthie, he's dangerous!"

"Get ahold of yourself!" the sophomore yelled as he started spinning everywhere. She was flung about, but somehow she still held on. "Stop this! You do not worship a God, you pray to the Goddesses above! Din, Farore, and Nayru are who you believe in!"

"She's the Princess! She's killing him!" he screamed.

"She's just a classmate!" the blades were thankfully flung aside as the two started to wrestle, Zant screaming about "the Princess" and Ruthie spoke of the Goddesses.

The Goddesses must have been smiling down on them because somehow the sophomore pinned down her prom date, looking into his eyes. His darted everywhere, seeing without really seeing. "Look at me. Look at me!" she ordered, lightly slapping him. He fixed his eyes on her before she continued.

"Your name is Zant. You go to Hyrule High. You are a senior. You transferred last year. You are eighteen years old. Your favorite color is blue. Your favorite food is peanut butter toast. You drink wine. Your best friend is Ruthie. You hate Ancient Hylian. You love chemistry. You-"

"Are going to Hyrule University," Zant interrupted softly. "I can cook. I have two Dads. I went to Prom with Ruthie. She is my best friend. I am going to be a chemist when I grow up. I have fits. Ruthie calms me down. I am calm," he finished. When the sophomore was satisfied, she climbed off him and sat by the fire, shivering slightly. Her dress was ripped in the fight, the shawl she had paired with her dress torn to shreds. Slowly, Zant took off his jacket and laid it on her bare shoulders. The two looked at each other for a moment.

Feeling like she was intruding on something completely personal, Pink made a mental checklist. She was mostly unhurt, save a few scratches here and there.

_Maybe traveling with them isn't a good idea..._

* * *

><p>Green never suspected a thing.<p>

He had taken watch because he wanted time alone to think and he couldn't sleep anyways.

One by one, he stared at their sleeping faces. It had been so long since he had seen his companions, and Sheik and Pink were already as dear as siblings to him. He did have Link's memories, after all.

He noticed the Princess had been tossing and turning a bit. He thought it was a nightmare and thus, decided not to do anything unless it became too bad. He wasn't very good at dealing with nightmares.

When she sat straight up, he was surprised. "Pink? What's wrong?" the green-clad Link asked, standing up and slowly walking towards her.

She never said a word. Instead she turned her wide eyes on him and, before he even saw it coming, had pulled out her sword and stabbed the first thing she could reach, which happened to be his leg.

He screamed and clutched his leg, feeling it was cut down to the bone. Blood spilled over his hands and onto the floor as he joined it, fighting the urge to black out.

"Green?" Blue was up immediately, as was Sheik.

"What's going on?"

The two noticed the girl glance at her blood sword and back to the whimpering Green. Without a word, she pushed past the two and into the night as Vio and Red dropped down beside the injured Link.

"Vio, go get some water and pain medicine if they have any in the gift shop," Red ordered as he brandished his Fire Rod. "Green, stay calm no matter what I do, okay? Whatever I'm doing will help you, even if it hurts. Blue and Sheik, pin him down so he'll stop thrashing."

"What are you going to do?" Blue asked as he pinned down his arms. The Sheikah latched onto both legs, one hand holding down the spot that was bleeding profusely.

"Fire magic doesn't just destroy. It heals," the innocent Link said simply before holding the tip of the rod to the wound. "This took years to master, but luckily I think I have it now. Keep him down."

Green's feverish eyes darted everywhere, seeing but not seeing. He started convulsing, prompting the two to hold him down with a firmer grip.

"Green, keep your eyes on Red," Sheik said. "He's going to help."

Red had evened his breathing as the tip of the Fire Rod started to glow. He started to move it over the wound, the areas he touched knitting itself back together. Vio had appeared with the requested items, an impressed look etched into his face.

"How did you learn that, Red?"

"Libraries, a little experimenting. I thought it would come in handy. I was right!" the boy's eyes lit up upon seeing Green calm down some, the pained expression lessening somewhat. Where there was previously a festering wound had now turned into a faint pink scar.

"All we can wonder now is why Pink did that," Sheik murmured as he pushed Green's sweaty bangs away from his face.

"Maybe she's allied with Ganondork," Blue said gruffly.

"No, Pink would never do that whatever lifetime she's in!" Red exclaimed.

"Maybe she was being manipulated," Vio suggested.

"That's a good possibility," Green muttered, making everyone turn to him. "She didn't seem like herself."

"We won't know until we find her."

Without another word spoken between them, the boys slowly got up and prepared to depart.

* * *

><p>Review, please?<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

It's Just High School… Right?

A/N: I dunno what happened to last chapter's spacing… but I can't fix it :I Stupid FF…

I did find my prom dress! It's pink! ^^ I found a prom dress exactly like Pink's for the right price… but it wouldn't zip up. I'm kinda a fat kid. :P So I got one that looks like the one I had mentioned she wore the year before. :3

Review Replies:

Herobrine:

Thank you! I hope you'll come back for the next chapter! ^^

Conner:

Thanks! ^^

TheSoundofDrums:

Thank you! Lol, the loony-bin is Zant from TP. One of my favorite villains, actually. No, I don't think I could make my chapters longer for the simple fact that they are much longer than what I'm used to writing anyways and I already have a lot of this mapped out, so I stop at certain points in the story. I, personally, die a little on the inside whenever I see a new chapter in one of my favorite stories is updated with over 10,000 words and I know a lot of people are like that, so I can't be bothered to make them longer.

Warnings: character death, really angry ancestors, _really _crazy Twili…

Disclaimer: I don't LoZ :C

* * *

><p>Zelda Nohansen walked, her chin raised high. She walked until she encountered a room that looked as if it was full of rippling water, the blue light reflecting off everything. There, three ethereal women stood, looking down upon her with sadness, anger, and pleasure.<p>

"Zelda Nohansen," the one with blue hair greeted, tears running down her face. "My child, my chosen one… Why?"

"Nayru," Zelda greeted, ignoring her question.

"Do you realize you have put everyone in jeopardy?" the one with green hair asked.

"Farore," the blonde said.

"Hello Zelda," the redhead welcomed.

"Aunt Din," Zelda smiled.

"I gave you life so that you may be able to overcome the darkness that purges Hyrule. I gave you a life here after death so you could lead your descendants in the right direction. And this is how you repay me?" Nayru asked quietly.

"I'm sorry, Mother."

"No you're not. I can see the smirk in your eyes, the insincerity on your face," the blue haired one whispered. "Use the Wisdom I gave you, Zelda. I gave it to you because I loved you before you were even born."

"I was tired of being your poppet," the blonde growled. "Just because you're my Mother doesn't mean you can control me-"

"But—"

"Don't 'but' me!" Zelda screamed. "How dare you call me your child after saying I was a mistake-"

"I do not expect you to even begin to understand the way things work here," Nayru murmured tiredly. "Just know, that I never thought of you as a mistake."

"It's true," the green haired one nodded. "You do not understand the pains we have gone through to ensure our childrens' safety."

"What… what about Sheik?" Zelda asked hesitantly. "He was no child of yours."

"Sheik's… a special case," Farore worded carefully.

"How?"

Din turned to her. "Because the second he was born, his death was set in stone."

* * *

><p>On the third day traveling, Pink, Ruthie, and Zant finally reached Kakariko.<p>

"Finally," the sophomore sighed as they reached the top of the steps. "I'm ready to get some new clothes and a hot shower."

After pooling together the rupees they had, they surmised that a hotel and a new set of clothes could be afforded.

"Only from the clearance rack," Zant warned.

"I know that!" Pink exclaimed.

"I know you do. I don't think she does," he explained, pointing to Ruthie.

"That was one time," she pouted. "You still wear those jeans."

"Come on, I'm dying to get out of this dress. It's heavy," the blonde said as an excuse to drag the sophomore away.

"So, um… what's the deal with Zant?" Pink asked hesitantly as they flipped through the rack.

"He's my best friend," the brunette smiled. "When he first moved here, everyone picked on him. It was terrible… so I gave him what everyone else wouldn't give him. Friendship. Since then, he's provided me with a confidant, a best friend, a brother, a protector… Sure, he's a little strange, he has his fits, and he has trouble expressing emotion, but he puts up with me. And I love him for that."

"That sounds like Sheik and I," Pink smiled. "He was an outcast when he was younger too. He might not be so strange and he's fairly emotionally stable considering what happened to his family, but all the same, he's provided me with the same thing that you have."

"Has Sheik proposed yet?" the sophomore grinned when Pink dropped the pants she was looking at in surprise.

"What? No, what would make you think he'd propose?"

"He's in love with you, it's as plain as day," the younger said matter-of-factly.

"In love… with me? No, he just likes me," the blonde said.

"Honey, he more than likes you. I've seen the looks he gives you. It's obvious to everyone, even Zant."

"Yeah, well, what about Zant? It's obvious he loves you!"

"That's… he isn't in love with me!"

"He is!"

"Then Sheik's in love with you!"

"Fine!" the girls said together before turning their backs on each other.

For a few minutes, it was dead silent except for the sifting of clothes.

"I think this would look good on you," Ruthie chirped, holding up a pair of sweatpants.

Like that, the fight was forgotten. The two girls laughed and tried on clothes for hours before Zant marched in and dragged them away.

"But we didn't buy anything!"

"That's your fault."

That night, the three gathered around the small table in the kitchen of their room in the hotel, discussing their next course of action.

"In the graveyard there is a temple that everyone is warned to stay away from. That's where we're headed," Zant said simply.

"But if everyone's warned to stay away from it, why are we going in there?" Ruthie asked.

"Because there is something I need to do, and I don't want you to be by yourself," he replied. "We'll go there in the morning. Get some rest."

"'Kay. Night Zant," the brunette hugged him and didn't seem all that surprised or hurt when he didn't hug back. Pink simply waved and headed to the bedroom she shared with the sophomore.

Early next morning found the three up and ready to go. Within the span of an hour, they were standing at the entrance of the Shadow Temple.

"We're here," the male stated.

"Lead the way, then," Ruthie replied, trembling a little and clutching her knife. The Princess likewise grasped the hilt of the sheathed sword on her back, her hands shaking slightly.

In silence, the trio made their way inside. It was dark, the air smelling of rotting flesh and the walls seeping a mysterious liquid. They were first met with a statue of a raven that made the girls cling to each other while Zant stared at it, transfixed.

"Zant…?" Ruthie released her grip on Pink's hand and grasped the male's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"My God was here… he left this statue for me," he muttered. "He left it so it could send me a message…"

"Zant, there are only Goddesses," the sophomore said gently, knowing there was a fit coming on.

"He says… he says to kill the Princess," the male murmured. "He says… to kill anyone who stands in my way."

"Zant-"

"He says… to kill _you_."

"Wha-"

Before the brunette even knew what was happening, the very blade she had been holding was stuck in her stomach. She gasped and fell to the ground, chest heaving.

"RUTHIE!" Pink shrieked, attempting to run to her.

"Go," the sophomore choked, blood spilling out of her mouth. "Go."

"No…" the blonde sobbed as the younger went limp.

"Ruthie?" In a moment of lucidity, the male kneeled beside his best friend. "Did you do this, Pink?"

"What? No, I-"

"You did this," Zant whispered. "YOU DID THIS!"

"No, I didn't!"

The male let out another of his unearthly wails and lunged towards the Princess, who managed to dodge and run through a door. Panting, she ran on and on until she reached a dead end.

"No," she sobbed. "This is it-"

"Through here!" A hand pulled her through a wall.

* * *

><p>At that time, the boys were walking through the forest, their hearts intent on finding the Princess.<p>

"Maybe she fell over this ledge," Green suggested as he looked down.

"No, Green, don't!" Sheik's hand shot out for him, successfully grabbing him by the scruff of his tunic.

"Idiot, you almost fell," Blue grumbled.

"You should be more careful Green," Vio lectured.

"Don't scare me like that again!" Red exclaimed.

"Yeah, I get it," the green eyed one muttered.

The Sheikah shook his head and led the party to a village.

"Excuse me," Red leaned down and smiled at a petite blonde boy. "Can you tell us what this town is named?"

"O- Ordon, sir," the kid whispered.

"May you tell us where we can find the leader? There's something we must ask him."

"He's in the house by the river, mister," the young one said, pointing to said house. "Just knock on the door."

"Thank you!" the red-clad Link patted the boy's head, making him flush.

"Thanks," the other Links and Sheik chorused before trudging off.

Vio knocked on the door to the mayor's house, taking over the spokesperson job. After a few minutes, the door opened to reveal a rather portly man with an impressive unibrow.

"Hello, it's rare that people come through this village," the man said, raising his eyebrow. "I'm Bo, the mayor of this town. What can I help you with?"

"Hello, sir. We were just wondering if you've seen our friend anywhere," Vio said politely. "She's blonde, a little shorter than me, blue eyes, pale skin. She's wearing a rather elaborate pink dress."

"No, I'm afraid I haven't seen her. You can check the temple though," Bo said. "Just continue through the woods until you come across it."

"Thank you sir," Vio bowed politely as the mayor smiled and closed the door.

"How much do you wanna bet she'll be in there?" the green-clad Link asked.

"Since when has it ever worked out that way?" Blue said, rolling his eyes. "I'm sure there's this 'ultra-powerful' dude that we have to kill before we find her."

"Don't be so pessimistic, Blue! I think she's in there," Red smiled. "We'll find her in no time- OW!"

"Stop being so optimistic," the blue-clad Link snapped, smacking the back of Red's head as they walked through the woods. "Shut up for once!"

"Are you okay, Sheik?" Green asked quietly as the two Links squabbled and Vio attempted to calm them down.

"Yeah… fine," the Sheikah replied, looking away. What if she wasn't in there? What if she was dead?

"We'll find her," Green reassured. "I know she stabbed me and everything, but I wanna see her."

The next few minutes were spent in silence until the five came across a clearing with a temple attached to the top of a tree.

"Let's go," Sheik said, climbing up the tree that led to the temple. Blue and Red finally calmed down, realizing the tenseness of the atmosphere.

Together, the five of them entered… for better or worse.

* * *

><p>I know this is shorter than normal, but I'm just so dang tired! Also, I want to focus solely on the Temple at the boys end next chapter. I'll still be showing what happens with Zelda and Pink, but the boys won't take a side trip.<p>

Reviews make me pleasure smile (Ahhh Hetalia references) :3


	8. Chapter 8

It's Just High School… Right?

A/N: Guess who's holding an ice pack to her foot while she types? Thanks, CATS ^^;

OMG I'm so sorry about a late update…. Life is getting in the way. Here's an extra-long chapter to make up for it? ^^;

Review Replies:

The Band Geek Alchemist: Thanks! We barely get them here too, we're surrounded by mountains :O It sucked. One day we were in freshman band camp and the sirens sounded so we had to go to the indoor track -_-'

Cyrus Windfall: The whole thing is not based on one game; it's based on a whole conglomeration of different games, which is also why the Four Links appeared with the Master Sword instead of a Four Sword. Not to mention, it's modern, meaning all the games have come to pass so that would be why there's Shadow Temples and Forest Temples… not to mention, there WAS a Forest Temple in Faron Woods in TP, which Ordon is located in, as there was a Shadow Temple in Kakariko in OOT.

Erm, I dunno about Zant. Especially near his death, Zant was pretty loony… I mean, in the Boss Battle- heck, even when he first showed up- he made these, like, unearthly noises and in the final stage, he staggered around and was spinning out of control. Not to mention, he always talked about "His God." In fact, I don't think I did him justice in this.

TheSoundOfDrums: Well I don't mind, Modern AUs are love. Just don't steal my specific idea :P Thanks for being awesome and reviewing! :D

Warnings: nasty upchucked contents of breakfast, predictable plot points, wallmasters, fire-happy Red, arguing princesses, a temple, irritated Blue, remorseful ancestors…

Disclaimer: I don't LoZ :C

* * *

><p>"Here it is," Sheik breathed as they stared up the passageway leading to the Forest Temple.<p>

"The Forest Temple," Vio supplied. "Is everyone ready?"

"Yeah, let's just go already!" Blue said, tapping his foot impatiently. "I'm ready to bust some heads together!"

"I wonder what's waiting in there…" Green muttered.

"Maybe there's treasure!" Red exclaimed, bouncing slightly on his toes.

"Maybe," Sheik agreed. "We'll never know until we find out!" With that, he climbed the tree guarding the entrance to the Temple. The four Links followed (though Green had a little difficulty).

The garden before the actual entrance was beautiful; flowers of all kinds grew in the oddest places, lush emerald grass brushed their legs, and fairies flew around occasionally landing in their clothes and hair.

"It's beautiful…" Red whispered, crouching down the feel the grass. "How can something so old and forgotten remain this pristine…?"

"Magic," Sheik replied, taking a deep breath. "I can smell it everywhere. This place has loads."

"Hey…" Blue looked up at the vines growing from the trunk of a tree and up one of the cliff faces. "I see a chest on that ledge… Imma go get it!"

The others watched in amusement as Blue tried (and failed) to climb up the vines, the leafy plant being too slick for him to hold onto and the skullwalltulla knocking him off. Finally, Red and Sheik took pity on him. With a giggle, Red shot a thin beam of fire at the creature.

"AUGH-" the hotheaded one screamed before he was caught by a certain Sheikah.

"You're welcome," the honey blonde snickered before climbing himself.

"Whatever, Sheikah. I was just testing it to make sure you could climb up there…" he muttered.

"It's okay Blue!" Red promised, glomping him. "You tried your hardest and that's all that matters!"

"Get off me," he muttered before pushing his red clad companion off.

Up on the ledge, Sheik was balancing himself. "I'm at the chest… Ah-hah! There's a key!"

"That'll be useful for later!" Green called. "Is that it?"

"Yeah, I'm coming down now. Watch out!" Sheik jumped from the ledge and landed gracefully on his feet.

As the five turned towards the entrance, two wolfos appeared out of nowhere. "Stand back, guys. I got this," Blue said determinedly… as the wolfos were incinerated.

"Oh, sorry Blue!" Red covered his mouth. "I didn't know you wanted to fight them!"

"Whatever…" a red faced Blue replied. "Let's just go…"

With snickers, the other three party members followed the two inside.

"Wow, it's so beauti- AH!" Green ducked as a big skulltulla dropped down from the wall. With another beam of fire, it was down for the count. "…Thanks Red…"

"No problem Green!" the red-clad one smiled brightly and skipped ahead of everyone else. "Wow, look at these pretty lights!"

"There's something fascinating about them…" Vio agreed as he reached out to touch one. Right as his hand reached the flame, it split into four. "Wha-"

Four Poes rose out of the flame, each one the respective flame's color- red, green, blue, and purple. They all cackled before vanishing into different parts of the temple.

"Let me guess," Blue started sarcastically. "Those things are the key to reaching the true threat in the temple?"

After a moment of awkward silence, Vio spoke up. "Well, it seems they have all gone in different directions. I say we split up."

"I agree with that," Green seconded. "How will we split up?"

"Well, I say we go after our respective colors. Green go after the green one, Blue after the blue, and so forth."

"What about me?" Sheik asked.

"Well, you can search for a key. There's always a key that leads to the monster that lies in wait in each temple," Vio explained. "It's different from regular keys, so you should have no trouble finding it."

"Alright then. We'll all meet back here?" Red affirmed. The others agreed with a nod.

OOO

Red walked along the temple, holding his Fire Rod in a death grip. "This place is pretty and all, but there are a lot of monsters…" he whispered. "Usually Blue and Green take care of those…"

The red clad Link entered a room with stairs and three supposedly empty portraits. Thinking nothing of it, he trotted down the first set of stairs and turned to go down the other one.

"Oh…" he said softly. "You're the one I'm searching for…"

The Poe grinned back at him before disappearing.

"Wah! Where did you go?" he exclaimed, turning in every which direction. Finally he spotted it on another painting. "Oh, there you are! Now how to get you out of there… Oh no!"

A thin stream of fire burst from the Fire Rod with Red powerless to stop it. "Oops- oh, it worked!"

Indeed, the painting dissolved. The Poe was now in another painting instead. "Let's see if it'll work again…"

And again, the painting disintegrated. "One more!"

Once that painting was gone, the red Poe appeared at the bottom of the steps. "Oh, do you wanna talk?" Red asked innocently before dodging the spin attack aimed at him. "…Guess not!"

He aimed his Rod at the mischievous enemy before shooting. Seeing that that was getting him nowhere, the red clad Link opted for his rarely-used sword, swiping at it a couple of times before it disappeared.

"Whew! You put up a good fight!" he panted, hands on his knees. "…What's happening now?"

The sister burst into a red flame and settled on the torch beside the door. A chest appeared, as if telling him he was allowed to pass.

"Thanks!" he giggled before skipping through the door.

OOO

"This is a really dumb Temple," Blue mumbled as he walked through, killing everything in sight. "The monsters are so easy to defeat… of course, that probably means the boss is a pain in the neck…"

The hotheaded one stopped dead in his tracks as he reached a room with stairs. "Found you," he smirked at the blue Poe staring back at him from the painting. With a "Hiyahhhhh!" he ran towards the portrait and slashed at it… just in time for the Poe to disappear.

"Dangit…."

After a few tries, to say Blue was getting just a little frustrated was like saying Vio was just a little fond of books.

"Augh! Come out here, you little pest!" the blue clad Link shouted, throwing his sword like a javelin at the painting.

He was shocked with it dissolved into flames.

"…Ha ha! I meant to do that!" he said, even though there was no one around.

Once the other two frames were down, he scurried down the stairs to meet the blue monster. Without a word, he started slashing and dodging until he finally got the fatal hit in.

"Ha! You were nothing!" he snickered as it formed into a blue ball of flame atop the pillar.

As he was opening the chest, the door next to him opened suddenly, grazing his entire body. "What the- RED!"

"Oh, hi Blue!" the cheerful Link chirped. "Did you defeat your Poe too?"

"Duh!" the hotheaded Link replied, clearly annoyed. "Why else would I be standing here? Have you ever heard of knocking?"

"I'm glad to see you too, Blue!" the red clad one giggled and hugged Blue around his waist. Blue blushed, but sighed in defeat and let himself be hugged.

OOO

Sheik walked through a twisted corridor, trying to not make himself dizzy. "So… many… twists…" he muttered, finally reaching the end. "I think I'm going too-!"

He leaned over the edge of the floor just in time to spill the contents of his breakfast onto the floor below.

"Ugh," he said, wiping his mouth. "That's nas-"

He got on his hands and knees, retching, unaware of the shadow growing bigger and bigger above him.

"WATCH OUT!" a shrill voice squeaked, just in time for him to be grabbed by a giant hand.

"What is this!" he cried, looking at the decaying flesh that had him in a death grip.

"LET GO!" the shrill voice sounded again. Just as he thought he was going to hurl yet again because of the smell of dead flesh, he was dropped rather roughly until his back.

"Unga wha-" he babbled, unable to fully make any coherent sounds.

"Use your mouth words Sheik," the voice tinkled as a glowing ball hovered above him. "Are you okay?"

"Are you… the one talking?" he asked as he reached up to cup the fairy in his hands.

"Yes, of course!"

"How do you know my name?" he asked tiredly.

"Because I knew you from a past life. My name is Navi!" it said. "I was Link's fairy, a long long loooooooooong time ago, back when the throne was first usurped! I've been sent to guide you and the four Links."

"No offense, but- are you a boy or girl?" he said, concentrated on the blue glow.

"I'm a girl, silly! See?" she flew closer to show him her tiny body. He blushed when he saw all she was wearing was a leaf to cover certain anatomy parts.

"Oh… sorry…"

"Anyways, what are you searching for? It's my duty to help!" she saluted before flying to sit on his broad shoulder.

"A big key," Sheik replied. "It's supposed to lead to the boss of this place. Any idea where it could be?"

"Why, it's in there!" she pointed to a pit in the side of a wall. "I passed it when I was helping you!"

"Alright… hold on tight!" he told her before jumping down onto the floor. Taking a deep breath, he started sprinting and ran up the wall, grabbing the floor of the little cave. There, he opened a big, unnecessarily fancy chest and found a just as fancy key. "Ah hah, found it!" he smiled triumphantly.

"'Let's get out of here before that thing comes back again," Navi suggested. Shuddering, Sheik nodded and high tailed it out of there.

OOO

Green stood against the door for support, panting. The falling ceiling from the previous room was enough of a problem, but then his leg decided to give out, allowing him to just scrape by with his life.

_Ow… My leg hurts like a mother…_ he thought as he sipped a red potion. _Pink better apologize…_

His silent cursing was interrupted by several puzzle pieces falling right in front of him, nearly squishing him. "What the Din!"

He looked up to see a giant portrait with a Poe nestled inside. The green monster snickered at him before tapping her wrist, indicating that he only had a certain amount of time.

"Little booger," he muttered before setting off to work.

At five times, he was starting to get frustrated.

At ten, he teared up as the timer ran out yet again.

At twenty, he kicked one of the blocks… And then cried out in pain before crumpling to the ground.

After what seemed like forever, Green was startled out of his slight doze by a soft hand raking through his sweat-soaked hair.

"Looks like the Poe got to you…" he heard a tenor voice chuckle. "What needs to be done? I'll take care of it."

"Need to… solve that puzzle…" the green clad Link pointed to the blocks.

"That?" Sheik stared at it for all of five seconds. "Okay."

"Don't worry Link, Sheik can take care of it!" Navi said as she appeared from her place inside Sheik's collar.

"Who are you?" Green asked as the fairy landed on his nose.

"I'm Navi, Messenger of the Great Deku Tree and sent to help you on your quest!" she chirped. "See, Sheik's already got it figured out!"

Indeed, the puzzle was put together perfectly with seconds to spare. Soon enough the Green Poe emerged out of her hiding place and aimed a spin attack at the Sheikah who neatly dodged the attack and wedged his blade deep into the monster's skin. With a screech, it burst into flames.

"…That was easy," Sheik muttered, sheathing his knife. "You alright, Green?"

"Yeah, fine…" the original Link muttered, a little disgruntled that something that took him so long only took his brother about five minutes.

"Do you need help?"

"No, I'm fine-"

"Too bad," Sheik replied, before slinging Green on his back and strolling out the door.

OOO

Vio entered a circular room just outside of the main chamber. As soon as he closed the door, two stalfos rose up out of the ground.

Vio sighed before unsheathing his sword. He really didn't have the patience for dealing with these things…

They both lunged, coming from either side. The purple clad Link simply took a step forward before stabbing behind him, effectively impaling both of the skeletons. They both collapsed into a pile bones.

"I know you're not dead," he muttered. "Hmmm….. Oh, here we go."

Walking casually over to the other side of the room, he unlatched the torch from the wall and threw it on the corpses. With twin screams, they both were burned to ashes. A chest appeared at the head of the room as the monsters burned on.

"Oh?" Vio headed towards the chest, completely ignoring the stalfos. "My bow!"

Indeed, inside was a bow and arrows. "I've been wondering where this was! Sweet!"

With a sigh of satisfaction, he exited the room to come face to face with three lit torches. "So it seems that they have all defeated their Poes… that just leaves mine…"

As if on cue, the Purple Poe appeared. She waved before splitting into five beings, circling around the brains of the group.

"So I have to find the real one," he commented, staring hard at the replicas. "Let's see… Spin for me again?"

Apparently they thought he would never figure it out, because soon they were circling him again.

"Ah, now I see," he smiled slightly as he spotted the one that did an extra spin. Expertly, he notched an arrow and shot at it, making the creature squawk before it disappeared into a purple flame.

Right as the flame returned to its pedestal, the other four ran in.

"Took you guys long enough…" Vio muttered, slinging his bow over his back. As he did that, the platform right next to him elevated to show an elevator just big enough for the five of them to squeeze in.

"Why must I be squished against you guys?" Blue moaned as they descended.

"Because we love you, Blue!" Red (who else?) replied, clinging to his waist.

"…Aren't I the luckiest guy in the world," he deadpanned as the elevator halted at the bottom. They were met with bars blocking an ornate door and two sections of the wall jutting out.

"Hm…" Vio raised a hand to his chin, rubbing it in thought. "Ah! Blue, Sheik. I want you to move those sections of the wall jutting out."

"Why me?" Blue grumbled.

"Just do it until I tell you to stop," Vio rolled his eyes. "Okay…. Oh, wait, stop!"

The two boys obliged (not like they had a choice… Vio had ran into the little cave that appeared before they even stopped) and leaned against the wall.

"There's a switch here," he explained, stepping on said switch. They could faintly here iron bars sliding up.

"What would we do without you, Vio?" Red cheered as the two boys started to push the wall around.

"And Blue," Blue coughed.

"And Sheik," the Sheikah muttered indignantly.

"We'll decide that based on how well you push that wall," Green smirked. With more grumbles, the sweat-soaked boys pushed until they came across yet another switch.

When they next passed the big fancy door, the iron bars had disappeared.

"I'm guessing the big evil guy is behind that door," Blue said, unsheathing his sword.

"Yeah… let's go beat it up!" Red pulled out his Fire Rod.

"Stay careful, though. I'll come up with a strategy once we find out exactly what this thing is like," Vio said as he checked his arrows.

"Malon might be behind there," Sheik whispered as his throwing needles appeared in between his fingers.

"Here goes nothing…" Green took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

"It's like… a gallery," Sheik whispered as he walked into the middle of the room. As he turned back around to face the others, three golden spikes blocked the exit. "Wonderful…"

"Behind you!" Vio cried as he shot an arrow that whizzed past and nicked Sheik's ear.

"What the heck- Oh crap!" Sheik looked behind him and rolled out of the way.

* * *

><p>All that Pink heard was her beating heart and deep breathes. All she felt was a small hand enclosing her wrist and said heart about to burst out of her chest and the rough granite beneath her feet. All she smelled was the stench of decomposing bodies, freshly dug dirt, and newly spilled blood as she watched the innocent sophomore girl fall under the blade of her best friend….<p>

No. She shook her head. She mustn't think like this. She didn't have time to mourn over some girl she barely knew. Right now, she had to escape the madman who did it. She had to survive.

If not for her, then at least to tell Green she was sorry. To tell Red he was the side she never thought Link had. To see Malon be set free. To tease Blue. To debate with Vio until they were both yelling at each other and laughing.

To tell Sheik she loved him.

It's clear now, she realized. She loved him. She's loved him since he carried her away from the playground. Since he called himself her hero.

Hopefully he still felt the same way.

But for right now, she had to concentrate on getting away from Zant, then finding out who this stranger dragging her is.

"Okay… We should be safe here," the stranger panted. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Pink rested her hands on her knees. "Who are you?"

"Who do you think I am?" the person (Pink now recognized the voice as distinctly feminine) stepped into the light. "Any guesses?"

"Well…" the blonde looked over the strange girl. "Judging by your hair and skin, you look to be one of the Twili… but one, you're nowhere near tall enough to be one, and two, they are just a myth."

"A myth? A myth?" Suddenly the imp was in Pink's face. "Have you not seen the man following us? How tall he is? His face, his eyes? He is distinctly Twili, and I am only this short because he placed a curse on me! I am Midna, Princess of the Twilight Realm and you WILL listen to me!"

"Excuse me?" Pink was starting to get angry. "Excuse me? Listen here, missy. You are not the only Princess around here. I am Princess Zelda Nohansen of the Kingdom of Hyrule, and I take orders from no one! What do you mean he placed a curse on you? Prove it."

Midna took a deep breath before beckoning Pink over. "Come here, Princess," she said the word sneeringly. "Come here and I'll show you."

With a grumbled swear, the blonde obliged. The Twilight Princess took one long hand into her two small ones.

"…Wow," Pink whispered after a moment. "I'm sorry, I had no idea-"

"It's fine," Midna looked away. "What's done is done. I couldn't have done anything to stop it, and he would have just killed me along with my family. I actually see it as proof that they all loved me, even my brother though he never showed it…"

"I… We can stop him, you know. Me and You. We'll put an end to him, and you'll have your kingdom back," the Light Princess murmured, gathering the imp up into a hug.

"Right. I mean, come on. We're two awesome Princesses who won't go down without a fight, right?" Midna smirked.

"Exactly. I'm not going to lay down and take this like some damsel in distress," Pink grinned. "We go after him at dawn!"

"….Or at least, when we wake up," Midna laughed. "We need to make some modifications to your dress though, I can't believe you ran all that way with it on-"

"You can do something about it?" the blonde interrupted. "Please oh please! It's so heavy!"

"Okay. Close your eyes."

As Pink had her eyes closed, she felt her dress weighed distinctly lighter with each passing second. "Open them!"

"What did you do? Some type of spell to change it into a lighter dress? An illusion to make it feel lighter? A- oh."

Midna stood proudly, surveying her work. Truth be told, she didn't use a spell. She simply took the dagger Pink had concealed on her for some reason and cut the dress to just above her knees. Most of the numerous petticoats were also cut out, making it easier to move around in.

"You like?" the imp asked, twirling around the dagger idly.

"Yeah, it gets the job done," the other replied as she took one of the leftover scraps and tied her hair back.

"We fight back at dawn!" Midna air pumped. "We are officially the most awesome princesses ever."

* * *

><p>"…Excuse me?" Zelda's eyes widened. "What did you say?"<p>

"Impa was the one that prophesized his death," Nayru repeated sadly. "To order your own child's death… I can't even imagine…"

"I can't believe this," the Princess laid her head in her hands. "And you let her? Sheik was my friend!"

"Right. He _was_," Din clarified, then frowned. "Niece, are you going soft?"

"No, I… It's just, I loved Sheik. He was there for me when no one else was," Zelda whispered. "And I may have been jealous of him, but I hated killing him… I can't imagine ordering his death. How could you let her?"

"Because we understood that she was doing what she had too, as a mother," the Goddess of Wisdom replied, tears in her eyes.

"Enough of this," Farore said. "We are here to discuss the Princess of Destiny's fate, not something that happened long ago. Sisters, Come here."

The three sisters formed a circle, shutting Zelda off completely. Every now and then she heard "But…!" "No, she… nothing… but…"

After what seemed like years, the three broke apart.

"Zelda Nohansen, Princess of Destiny, and Former Holder of Triforce of Wisdom, for your crimes you will be punished accordingly," Din started. "You will be imprisoned in the In Between. The only way you will be freed is if your Light can free you of the darkness that has clutched your heart."

"No, that's not fair," Zelda protested as Farore set up a portal. "Mom, say something-"

"You did this to yourself Zelda," Nayru was crying openly now. "You did the deed, so now you have to face the consequences."

"Mom-" was the last thing the Princess said before she was pushed into the portal and knocked unconscious.

When she came too, she noticed one thing—she was laying in water, but she wasn't wet. Zelda stood up and looked around, taking not of the water, the mist, and the island with the dead tree in the middle of it.

She stumbled over to the tree, unaware of the footsteps and slight chuckle behind her.

"Well hello, Princess…"

* * *

><p>It's now 1:40 A.M., Amy Winehouse's (LOVE HER) Back to Black is playing on the Adele channel on Pandora, I'm sick because of this stupid weather, but I'm still updating for you guys! …A month and a half later…<p>

I'm still debating on whether to put the fight in the Forest Temple or not (yes, I don't update for a month and a half and I'm STILL debating on this crap) so if you guys could tell me what you think, that would be great (:

I'm iffy about the end of this (Heck, all of it, especially the portion I wrote tonight) but whatever. Review anyways? (:


	9. Chapter 9

**It's Just High School… Right?**

A/N: What a past few months! Lawd, so much has gone down, and I'm so sick, but I'm sure you guys don't wanna know anything about my life… so let's just get to the story, mmmkayy? :3

Warnings: mentions of abuse, probably some violence, character deaths. Also, there's one character in here (that you're about to meet) that can be very sensual, but I don't think he's worth an M rating exactly. But I'd thought I'd warn you guys anyways.

Disclaimer: I don't LoZ :C

* * *

><p>Red stood frozen as the replica of Ganondorf shot out of the painting and appeared before the group. He vaguely heard Vio cry out a warning to Sheik (who had his back turned to the enemy) and saw him shoot an arrow (which the enemy dodged effortlessly).<p>

Blue took one look at Red before standing protectively in front of him, his sword held out in front of him. Green smiled at the gesture before unsheathing his own sword and hurrying to join the three in the middle of the room.

"I am Phantom Ganon… And your journey ends here!" the doppelganger declared before shooting back into one of the numerous paintings.

"Wonderful…" Green groaned. "Now what do we do?"

"Uh… Can I… make a suggestion?" Navi asked as she flew out of Vio's cap. The purple-clad warrior gave her a warm smile and nodded.

"Anything you say is appreciated, Navi."

"Well… Um… I could tell you which portrait he's going to come out of and then you could shoot him with your arrows. Then, when he's down, Green could slash him with his sword," she answered, bobbing ever-so-slightly in the air.

"That sounds like it just might work," Sheik grinned at her and stepped back. "I'll leave it to you two then."

"Wait, what are Red and I gonna do?" Blue asked as Sheik walked over to them.

"Stand here and look pretty."

"But-!"

"Look, Vi's already downed him!" Red chirped, interrupting Blue. Sure enough, Vio's deadly accuracy with a bow had come in handy as the Phantom slid to the ground and Green wailed on it. With a growl, the enemy rose and entered another painting.

"Since you're so eager to fight, you two can take care of him this time," Vio quipped as he and Green stepped back. Blue and Red nodded at each other briefly before entering the ring.

"They really do harmonize well together," the Sheikah commented as he watched the red and blue warriors communicate by looks alone.

"They always have… For having such opposite personalities, they sure are close," the purple one said.

"Yes… Almost _too _close," Green said cryptically.

"What do you mean?"

"Haven't you noticed how protective of Red Blue is? It seems fishy."

"Get your mind out of the gutter Green," Vio muttered as the enemy was taken down a second time.

"You haven't beaten me yet…" the doppelganger grunted, rising slowly. "Let us see how you fare against my magical balls…"

"He said magical balls," Blue snickered. Beside him, Red giggled lightly. Navi's light grew red for a moment, a sure sign that she was blushing. Vio and Sheik rolled their eyes as Green scowled.

"We don't know what he's going to do next, guys. We need to _focus_," he said as Phantom Ganon rose higher and higher.

"I'm assuming he's going to shoot magical balls at us," Vio said drily, earning another round of laughter from the group.

"Good one Vi- OH!" Sheik rushed out and blocked the ball that was heading straight toward Red with his dagger. "I haven't contributed to this fight yet, so I suppose it is my turn. Watch and learn."

Back and forth, back and forth the ball was thrown, almost like a tennis match… until one attacker missed.

Sheik was knocked to the ground, electricity coursing through his body. He felt as if the very core of his body was melting, as if his skin would melt right off his bones and leave a puddle for the Links to clean up…

"SHEIK!" Green exclaimed, falling down beside the Sheikah as the enemy cackled overhead. "Are you alright?! I could-"

"No," Sheik grunted, rising to his feet slowly while clutching his chest. "I have to do this. Just stay out of danger, okay?"

And again, a ball was tossed out. The Links and Navi watched anxiously as the dangerous tennis match looked like it would never end.

"Wow, Sheik looks tired," Red whispered, tears starting to build in his eyes. Sensing this, Blue pulled him close against his side.

"He's going to end. Dangit, _that idiot is going to win._"

Red looked up at his companion, a confused look gracing his features. "Blue, are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Look," Green pointed. "The enemy's going to miss!"

"Shh," Vio murmured. "That's only if Sheik can hit this one."

And it looked like Sheik might miss, as his arms were down for a second too long. He braced for the impact—

Only to see a sword struck out in front of him and the enemy fell.

"Get him. Go," Blue ground out, before sheathing his sword and backing towards Red. Nodding, Sheik did as he was told.

"What a useless creation! I shall banish it to the space between dimensions!" a voice boomed overhead. The warriors jumped and looked up just in time to see the enemy disappear in a purple light.

"It seems you have gotten stronger since I last saw you… There are more of you too, and yet… You are missing one. Ah, yes… the Princess. I have someone taking care of her as we speak. Do not worry, he is more merciful than I and will give her a quick death.

"Yes, it seems you are stronger indeed. But, no worries… I can, and will defeat you. Until we meet again, heroes… Your Malon is waiting!" There was the trademarked evil laughter of a villain then silence.

"Wow…" Green said. Unable to say anything else, the others simply nodded. There were a few moments of silence.

"Sheik… Link…" a voice softly beckoned. "Turn around…"

"S- Saria…?" Sheik asked, astonished. Saria was a classmate of his. He had never been as close to her as Link had been, but had still considered her a close friend. Now it looked as if she had… "Saria… Are you alive?"

She shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid not… Mido had taken me to Prom with him. Do you remember the girl that had been murdered with the knife that floated on its own?"

"How could I have not noticed?!" Sheik exclaimed. "I'm so sorry Saria, I—"

"Sheik, say no more," she said gently. "It was chaotic. I wouldn't have noticed it was me either. Besides, there is a reason I am here instead of running around in the streets somewhere. I am here to help you on your quest, and for that I am so grateful. Here, take this medallion. It holds my power and my love.

"Links… Look at me," she commanded. When they complied, she continued. "You must save Malon. She is in grave danger… he is often impatient, that man is. He may be keeping her safe now, but soon, very soon he will grow tired of her. You know how she is, she is a fighter. He will come to be annoyed of her fiery nature and decide to just end her. Quickly, you must save her. Your time is running out.

"Sheik… If you see Mido again… Tell him I love him. Tell him I am still with him, just in a different way. I will miss you all… farewell, and good luck on your quest." In a flash of light, she was gone.

"I will miss her," Sheik murmured, tears building in his eyes. Refusing to let them spill over, he took a deep breath and stood tall.

"Well, you heard both of them. Pink is being chased by one of his men somewhere and Malon's clock is running out. Let's go!"

With a nod between the five of them (plus a bob from Navi), the heroes set out on their quest with renewed vigor.

OOO

"It's dark," Red commented as he lit up his Fire Rod.

"Well no, what gave you that idea?" Blue snorted.

"Should we stop for the night?" Green asked the quieter two of the group. They looked at each other for a few minutes before turning to the green-clad warrior.

"Nah," Sheik said. "We can stop at the village. Vi and I don't feel too comfortable sleeping out in the open."

"But I'm tired!" the hotheaded one whined.

"Don't worry Blue, if you get too tired I'll just carry you on my back!"

"Sh- shut up Red!"

"Those two…" Vio muttered, shaking his head before leading the pack. They all took the hint and followed, Green bringing up the rear.

For a group so tired, they certainly made good distance. Soon enough, they could see the lights indicating that Ordon village was just ahead. Green smiled and yawned widely, stretching. This quest was wearing him out already—

"AHHHHH!"

"GREEN!" the whole group screeched as the green Link went tumbling over the edge of a chasm. They all recognized it as the ledge Green had almost fell over _last _time.

"But wasn't that on the other side of the village…?" Red asked timidly.

"It's magic… It reeks of it," Sheik said. "There's only one way to get him back…" And with that, the Sheikah jumped into the seemingly endless hole.

"Idiot!" Blue snapped. "No, Red!"

"But Blue, he said it's the only way to get Green back!" Red whined as he was pulled back up by his collar. Without a word, Vio jumped after the two. Navi plunged down next.

"…They're going to get us killed," the hotheaded one muttered. "Alright, come on Red. Together on the count of three."

Red nodded resolutely and took the other's outstretched hand. "One…"

"Two…"

"Three!"

* * *

><p>"Well hello Princess," a dark, silky voice sounded behind Zelda. Breathing heavily, she turned quickly to see… who looked to be the Hero of Time?<p>

But no… this one was different. For one, his clothes were charcoal black instead of forest green. His skin was deathly pale, almost paper white compared to the deep tan the other sported, his hair a deep purple instead of a golden blonde. And the eyes…. The eyes, instead of being a cool, calming blue were an enraged fiery red.

"Who… are you?" she managed to choke out.

He ignored her. "My my my, I never thought I'd see the Princess of Destiny here… but I guess that just goes to show how corrupt a person can really become. Not that I'm not happy you're here, of course," he said, eyes glinting as he walked closer and closer. She backed away, farther and farther until she was against the tree—which, she realized, was the same shade of black as the doppelganger's tunic. "I'm very, _very _happy, in fact…"

"You... you never told me your name…" she said, swallowing hard as he inched even closer into her personal bubble.

"Me? Just call me… Shadow," he whispered in her ear as he grabbed a hold of her hips. "And I know why you're here…"

"Do you now?" she asked, finally catching her breath and pushing him off. "Get off me! Who do you think you are to treat a princess this way?!"

Shadow merely chuckled. "You still call yourself a princess after all you did? You're cute. That's like me calling myself one of the Links after all this time… But who am I to do that, right? They were sent to the Sacred Realm and I was sent here because a shadow isn't holy enough, even though _I _was the one who defeated Vaati…" he started to mumble darkly to himself as Zelda looked on, slightly disturbed. "They did nothing but watch as I was torn from their world… I sacrificed myself so that the Mage would be defeated and _they _took all the credit and was rewarded with staying in the Sacred Realm for eternity while I was sent here… All because of who I am, what I'm made of…"

"Er… I'm… sorry?" she tried.

"No you're not!" he roared. "You light creatures will _never _understand what it's like to be a shadow, to be ostracized from your society, to just be assumed as evil… to have everything you give taken from granted, and to have more taken from you because it's expected… You'll never know, so how can you be _sorry?_" he mimicked.

"Look buddy, I was just trying to sympathize," she argued.

"No you weren't. You don't care. I can see it in your eyes… Your cold, emotionless cauliflower eyes. Isn't it ironic? The Shadow Link is more _pure _than the Princess of Light, the Princess of Destiny. Here I am, automatically evil because of where I was _created, _not _born,_ and who I am and you're supposed to be the good one, the angelic one bathed in light. Isn't it funny how the roles are reversed, but in the end I still get the shaft?"

"Y- You're crazy, that's why you get the short end of the stick," Zelda said, slightly panicked. "You're just crazy… You probably just killed Vaati in one of your fits, and then tried to finish off the Links…"

The shadow stared before laughing. "Man, that's a good one! I love your sense of humor, Princess! No, I changed sides in favor of the Links halfway through their quest. We took down Vaati in an epic battle, and in the end it was I who dealt the final blow and, at the cost of my own body, sealed him in the Four Sword. Because of this, when I am out in the sun I turn into a shadow, obviously. I have to live in the four Links' shadows. And what do I get for all the hardship I was put through? This. And now I am here with you. We are going to be here a while, so I suggest you warm up to me," he said casually, grinning. She couldn't help but notice two fangs that popped out when he smiled, almost like a vampire's.

"H- how long am I here…?" She asked nervously. His grin turned feral.

"As long as it takes to learn your lesson… In short, for eternity. Or until your Light takes mercy and purges you of your inner demon."

* * *

><p>The next day (or what Pink judged to be the next day, anyways) came with little fanfare to the two princesses as they arose and silently ate what little food they had between them.<p>

"So what do we do?" the Light Princess asked as they started to walk.

"This temple holds an evil energy… almost Twili, so I suspect a mix of Zant and his 'master.' Taking care of that is a priority. Also, there is the little problem of Zant himself… should we take care of him then whatever is emitting that energy or vice versa?"

"Well… I'd say the thing first… that seems easier," Pink smiled nervously and rubbed the back of her neck. "Though I suspect who his master is, and if it's who I think it is and he's helping Zant fuel this… whatever it is then we'll have a tough time of it regardless…"

"Really? Who do you think is his master?" Midna asked curiously. "I know it's someone of your world, but I'm not familiar with really anyone but you… Sorry."

"It's fine, I wouldn't expect you to be," Pink smiled warmly at her new friend before continuing. "There's this man named Ganondorf… He's behind Hyrule's collapse as of now. It seems a little _too _convenient that your world would crumble at the same time mine does, no?"

"Ah, I see," the Twili replied, understanding lighting her features. "That would make sense… So this Ganondorf, he is very powerful?"

"Very. He was able to take Hyrule in a matter of minutes. It's a miracle I'm here with you right now, really, but he insisted that he would take me when the time is right… Instead, he took my best friend, claiming that she was no real use to our quest but since she was close to all of us she would be a type of incentive. I wouldn't be surprised if he arranged Zant and I meeting for the sole purpose of him killing me."

"Oh my… That just means Zant is nothing but a pawn in his game too…" the imp murmured. "I knew he wasn't all bad…"

"I thought you would say that," the Light Princess teased lightly. "After all, you two _were—"_

"We're not going into this!" the other cut her off, blushing furiously. "It's over and done now anyways, all I can do now is kill him and release him from this spell he is under."

"I am truly sorry Midna…" Pink whispered. "I… I know it will be hard…"

"Yeah, well," Midna said, her back turned. "We can't do anything but this. Maybe… Maybe one day I'll see him again and he'll thank me… And—and then…"

"I understand," the blonde whispered, reaching out and hugging her new friend from behind. "You know… while he was here, he _did _take an interest in another girl. But now that I think about it... She was like you. Almost like she was your light counterpart."

"Really? So it was like… like he…"

"Yes," Pink said, biting her lip and trying to squash the guilt that rose at seeing Midna's look of hope. Okay, so it was _one _little lie. But if that lie made her feel better… then who was she to deny her?

"Thank goodness… I'm not one to share," the imp said, a mischievous light in her visible eye. "If she was my counterpart though… then I guess it technically doesn't count."

"Right. So should we go kick this dungeon's butt now?"

Midna, having now perked up considerably (provoking another wave of guilt to wash over Pink), nodded. A rather evil-looking grin spread across her face. The fang that Pink originally thought was cute turned menacing lined up with all the other equally sharp-looking teeth.

"Let's go get my Zant back."

* * *

><p>Yeah… I took forever just for <em>this<em>… Sorry! It might be another few months before I update again… Just a warning!

I'd love your thoughts *heart*


	10. Chapter 10

**It's Just High School… Right?**

A/N: Okay, so I have recently ended the One Act and Marching Band season, meaning everyday but Thursday is free now. Also, we have Thanksgiving break this week and in three weeks Christmas break, so I should be getting around to a lot of fics!

The Shadow Temple is not going to be exactly like the game's because, long story short, I don't remember and right now I'm at the Water Temple. Also, I read a CreepyPasta about Majora's Mask and now am scared to even touch my 64 :P so imma take creative liberty(Of course, that's pretty much all this story is anyways…)!

_Review Reply:_

_Link24—_Wow, thank you so much! I am going to try to update right away! :D

Warnings: mentions of abuse, definitely some violence, character deaths.

Disclaimer: I don't LoZ :C

* * *

><p>The Shadow Guide and the Hero that Time Forgot stared at each other, communicating through only facial expressions.<p>

"Heroes," Rauru started wearily. "I know things have been… er, inconvenienced, but we can still hope."

"How, Rauru?" the Shadow Guide asked. "The Princess had lost her way. She is fundamental to the heroes, they can't go far without her."

"If she has lost her way," the Sage started, amused, "then help her find it again."

"But how?"

"The Princess of Destiny was not the only one who can speak to her, you know. You and the Hero can communicate to her. Help her find her way back to the heroes."

"…Why didn't we think of that?" the Hero exclaimed. "That makes so much sense…"

"Sometimes, when panicked, people do not see the sense in situations."

"You know what this means though, Link," the Guide sighed. "We'll have to be the ones to explain everything to her."

"Oh yeah… Wonderful," the Hero groaned. "Get your magic ready, this temple is tough and I have a feeling she'll need all the aid she can get."

* * *

><p>"Ew," Pink grimaced as she stepped in yet <em>another <em>puddle of dirty water.

"Suck it up," Midna rolled her eyes.

"You can't say anything, you're just floating along!"

"Shut it Blondie."

For what seemed like _forever, _they wandered around. The two princesses had no idea what they were doing, honestly, and they were afraid that at any moment they would run into Zant. Finally, they came across a boat that seemed to float on air.

"How does it _do _that?" Pink asked in wonder.

"I don't know," Midna breathed. "But I feel like we should get on this."

"Yeah… Yeah, okay," the blonde took a deep breath before stepping on, the Twili right beside her. Curiously, they both approached the Triforce mark in the middle of the ship.

"What does that do…?"

"I don't know," the Hyrulian replied. As soon as she had said that, she faintly heard an ocarina playing a sweet melody. She vaguely recognized it as something her Mom would sing her to sleep when she was very little. She no longer had the ocarina; she had given that to Sheik. But that wasn't the only instrument she owned… "But I think I know how to find out."

Before the imp could ask what she meant by that, Pink started to sing. Her clear soprano echoed throughout the chasm and with a jolt, the boat started moving.

"Wow," was all Midna could say to her fellow Princess. "How did you-"

"I just… had a feeling," the blonde muttered, turning to wipe her tears away. She missed her Mother—the other one. The one who was kind and loving to her, the one who would kiss her tears away and read her bedtime stories. The one before Sheik showed up, the one before she found out Sheik was her best friend…

No, she couldn't think this way. She would _never _regret her friendship with Sheik. Even though he was the catalyst to her parent's actions, he was the best friend—and first love- she could have. He would often feed her and clothe her himself when her parents refused. He would drive her to school; give her a safe place to hide away. As much as he was the problem, he was also the solution. And she had come to rely on his presence too much to even allow him to vanish from her life like he tried to do.

Ah, but she was drifting away from the task at hand. She turned back around to see Midna giving her a strange look.

"Are you okay Pink?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "I will be."

OOO

The two Princesses had been on the boat for an hour before it started.

"Do you hear that?" Pink asked. It sounded like bones clacking together.

"Yeah… But where—"

"WATCH OUT!" the blonde dived out of the way as a Stalfos landed on the boat. With a look of horror, she watched as another landed in front of Midna. "Mid!"

"I can handle it! You take care of yourself!"

With a nod that she knew the Twilight Princess couldn't see, she unsheathed the Sage's Sword and set to work. The skeleton seemed to perpetually grin as it parried her every slash and swing.

"Why- won't- you- just- DIE!" she yelled out in frustration. On the last word, strength poured into her and she managed to knock through the skeleton's defenses and straight through its rib cage, the bones cracking with a sickening sound. She then lobbed off the arms, then the legs, and then the head until it was nothing but a pile of bones.

_Well done, Princess. _

"…Sheik…?" Pink asked, hearing the male's voice chuckle in reply.

_Not the Sheik you are thinking of. I will provide you with answers soon, Princess of Destiny. There is much we must discuss. Until then, we will watch and we will help you however we can. But beware, danger is ahead. Danger almost too much for you to handle alone._

"But Sheik, I'm not alone-"

_I see that. Good luck Princess. I will talk to you soon._

"No, wait Sheik! I'm sorry! I'm sorry…"

There was nothing but silence.

As she sat down, she could vaguely hear the sounds of Midna winning her fight using her Twili magic. She couldn't care less, though. Right now, all she could think of was her boyfriend and wherever he was now. She hoped he was okay…

"Hey," the Twili said as she set fire to the pile of bones.

"Hey."

"Why don't you rest some? It looks like there'll be more to face when we finally get off this."

"I don't think I'd be able to if I tried…" Pink said softly, tears yet again brimming her eyes. "What if we don't get out of here?"

"Hey, don't talk like that. Of course we're getting out of here. We're going to free Zant, purify this temple, and return to our own worlds. You're going to go find this Sheik person of yours and I'm going to go back and rule my people as I was born to do."

"How'd you know about Sheik?"

"Well… You kind of talk in your sleep," Midna said gently. "I can see he's very important to you."

"So important… I miss him with everything I have," the blonde whispered. "I need to see him again to tell him I'm so sorry for what I did to him…"

"You will. You know why? Because we're getting out of here, and soon. And I can sense he's out there looking for you. You know, Sheikahs and Twili have a special connection."

"You… you do?" This was certainly news to Pink. She never knew Twili even existed, let alone that they were associated with each other. Midna nodded.

"Long ago, the Sheikahs had rebelled against the Royal Family. You see, at first the Sheikah were there to protect the Royals, but as time went on and no threats were posed, the Royals had reduced them to nothing but mere slaves. As a punishment, the Sheikahs were banned to the Twilight Realm where, over time, they were turned into Twili. There were only two not banished, two Sheikahs named Sheik and Impa. The Sheikah you know is a descendant of those two and, since I am also a descendant of the Sheikah, we have a connection."

"Can you tell me where he is?" Pink asked eagerly. "Is he close by?"

Midna took on a look of concentration. "That's strange… I can't tell where he is. Last time I checked he was in Faron Woods, but now… nothing."

"That doesn't mean… that he's…"

"Oh, no no! It certainly doesn't mean that. All it means is that he's too far for me to tell where he is. But rest assured he is still out there."

"Thank you, Mid," the blonde whispered, hugging her newfound friend. "Thank you so much…"

"Er, well you would have done the same thing for me," the imp replied, blushing slightly. "So no need to get sappy… now rest. You need it."

The Princess of Destiny obliged and stretched out across the Triforce. After shooting a sleepy smile towards Midna, she closed her eyes and started to doze.

OOO

"Pink! Pink wake up!" Midna screamed.

The Light Princess shot up, disoriented. Why was the boat shaking…?

"The boat is going down! If we don't get off we're going to die!"

At the word 'die,' the blonde shot to her feet. She couldn't die, not now. Not after learning that Sheik was alive and well and on his way to find her.

With strength she didn't know she had, she took a running leap and grabbed a hold of the edge of the wall before hauling herself up. She heard rather than saw the boat take a freefall.

"Midna? Mid!" she called out in a panic. "Where are you?"

Fear gripped Pink's heart in a tight embrace. She couldn't lose the Twili, not now, she couldn't go on alone-

"Pink! Calm down! I'm right here," the blonde heard from under her. Bewildered, she looked down at her feet and watched as the imp rose out of her shadow. "I hid in your shadow. It's a little trick us Twili learned."

"Thank Nayru! I thought I'd lost you!" Pink clutched her chest.

"Yeah yeah," Midna muttered, her cheeks once again a pretty shade of pink. "Let's go."

The two trudged on until they entered a room. It was a dingy little thing, nothing but a small square with a dirt floor. However…

"This stuff… Is that… Is that _blood?" _Pink picked up a pile of metallic smelling wet dirt and gasped. "What caused this…?"

"Pink move!"

"Wha-?" Before she could finish her question a clawed hand lifted her off the ground. She looked down to see a grey arm with sickly pink spots all over. Upon closer inspection, they weren't pink spots… they were-

Well. Now she knew where the blood came from.

It was all she could do to keep from gagging and screaming as the claw started to tighten and rip into her dress, and graze her skin. She twisted around wildly, trying to break free. As she twisted and turned she caught a sight of the creature controlling the arm.

Its mouth was the first thing branded into her memory to haunt her for days to come. Big and gaping, it was lined with bits of razor sharp teeth. More of the "pink spots" were dotted all over its shapeless body. Now that she realized what they were, she saw bits and pieces flake off. The arms attached were hooked and small, hugged close to its body.

She couldn't hold it in anymore. She screamed.

"Calm down!" Midna called as she charged up some of her magic. "I'll get you out!"

No longer able to talk, the blonde just nodded. The claw started to dig deeper into her skin, allowing blood to pour down her body in rivulets.

_Help me… Sheik…_

_I will._

Suddenly, she was let go of. The creature's arm recoiled, as if burned. There was a roar and then the monster disappeared into the ground, leaving the arm snapping at the air.

The blonde was filled with adrenaline even as the blood flow quickened. With quick, flutter steps she slashed at the arm and ran back. Almost immediately, the torso of the creature resurfaced, roaring. Midna lobbed a ball of purple energy at it, leaving a gaping hole where the magic touched it. Pink moved forward and, with skill she didn't know she had, cut off its head.

There was silence.

"What… was that?" Midna asked. "Pink, do you know? …Pink?"

The Light Princess wasn't listening, for she was too busy trying to slow the blood flow and trying to stay conscious.

_Princess. Calm down._

"L- Link?" she gasped.

_Not the Link you know. Keep calm, Princess. You have done well, and we are so proud. But the fight is far from over._

_Let me heal you._

"Sheik!"

_Yes. Take a deep breath._

When Pink obliged, the blood slowed and her pain faded. She watched in wonder as the claw marks faded into a slightly puckered scar, then disappeared completely.

"Sheik…?"

_Fight bravely. We will see you soon._

"Er… Are you okay? How did that happen?" the Twili asked with wide eyes as she stared at Pink's now exposed side.

"The Goddesses are smiling down on me," Pink said matter-of-factly.

"Obviously. Do you know how freaky it was to sit here and watch you bleed to death one second then the next see you completely better?"

"Really freaky, I'm guessing," the blonde quipped, sticking her tongue out. Midna rolled her eyes.

"Let's just go, before you decide to almost die again."

The two shared a grin before exiting the room and walking far, far away. There was no way they were entering that room again.

They walked in relative silence, determined to get the dungeon purified and Zant freed. They wanted nothing more than to see their loved ones again. Then again… Part of the two was kind of dreading their separation. Even though they had only been together for a short amount of time, one fact remains; they had created an unshakable bond. In that short amount of time, they had faced countless horrors, shared many secrets. They had cried, laughed and even almost died together. The two would miss each other greatly when the time to part came.

"Did you hear that?" Midna asked, stopping suddenly.

"Hear what?" Pink stopped as well.

"That… sound…"

The blonde strained her ears to hear what made her counterpart stop. When she did, her eyes widened.

"We need to go this way. Now," she said, taking the small hand in hers and dragging the imp back the way they came.

"What is that?"

"Zant."

Without another word, the two took off. Behind them, they could hear the sounds of pursuit.

Zant had found them.

"You can run, Pink, but you can't hide!" he laughed like a madman. "Is that Midna I see too? Mid, I didn't know you were here!"

"No," Midna whimpered.

"Mid be strong," Pink gasped back, squeezing her friends' hand.

"Come here Midna," Zant cooed. "Come here, I've missed you. Come give me a hug! I love you, Midna!"

Suddenly, he teleported right in front of them. He towered over them both, his eyes turned bulbous and fish like. His teeth had turned sharp and poked out of his lipless mouth.

His stay in the Shadow Temple had turned him into his true form.

"Come on!" Pink veered sharply to the right, towing the imp along.

"Come back! I haven't given Midna a hello kiss yet!"

"Pink-"

"_No, Midna. _Be strong. He's not the Zant you knew."

"But he's in there somewhere, I know he is. I can change him back, I can-"

"_Midna! _Listen to yourself! He's trying to kill you and you're trying to reason with him! Say what you will, I will _not _allow you to go back there and get yourself killed," Pink said firmly, though on the inside she was breaking. She hated the broken expression on her counterpart's face, the look of distress as he called to her…

"Pink… thank you."

"Come on, we'll find somewhere to hide."

"You have to fight me sometime, so why not now?" Zant called to them. "I'll make you pay for trying to kill my God, Pink! Midna, how could you side with her?"

"Keep going, Midna."

"How could you side with the girl who is tearing us apart? Do you hear the way she's speaking to you? She's trying to tell you I'm evil!"

"Midna, don't listen to him."

"You _know _me, Mid! You know me! You _love _me and I love you!" Zant's voice was broken now. It was a horrible thing to witness, even for Pink. "Please, come back to me…"

"Pink, I-"

"No Midna!" Seeing no other choice, Pink threw the Twili through a random doorway before darting through herself and slamming the door.

"There's no lock… THERE'S NO LOCK!"

_Calm, Princess. We will protect you._

Pink watched in wonder as a sheet of blue energy coated the door. She could hear Zant pounding and screaming through the door on the other side, but he couldn't get through.

_Go forward, Princess. Prepare yourself; there is a big battle awaiting you._

"Thank you… Thank you for everything."

_We will provide you with the energy you need. For now, go. _

Pink took a deep breath before looking at her visibly shaking friend. "Come on Mid. We need to go. There's a big battle about to go down."

"Pink…"

"Shhh. Focus now on this battle, and this battle alone."

Midna nodded wordlessly before they pressed onward. They went forward a little ways before suddenly dropping down a large chasm.

"What the Din!" Pink exclaimed as they landed. "What just happened!"

"Well, we fell," Midna replied drily. "And landed on this bouncy thing that almost looks like a drum…"

As if on cue, two giant hands appeared and started to slam down on the floor. Pink and Midna started to bounce towards the edge.

"Oh Farore," Pink gasped when she saw what was over the edge. "Whatever you do, don't fall off! The liquid is poison!"

"You've got to be kidding me!"

_Princess. You can't See._

"What do you mean…?"

_I mean, you can't _See _what is important. I will grant you the ability. I grant you the Sheikah ability to See, Princess. Use it well._

As soon as that was said, Pink's vision sharpened. Everything was clearer, brighter. She could also see what the voice was talking about…

"Midna, watch out! It has a head!"

"Oh boy," Midna muttered while preparing a ball of energy. "I can tell this is going to be a long one…"

* * *

><p>The four Links, Navi, and Sheik tumbled through the abyss, screaming all the way. With a final squeak, they all landed a giant mushroom and bounced harmlessly before finally settling on the hard ground. There was a few seconds of silence.<p>

"Way to go Green," Blue said sarcastically. "You just _had _to choose that moment to be clumsy and now look, we don't even know where we are."

"It's not my fault, okay?" Green snapped. "It almost felt like… Like I was pulled…" the green-clad one shuddered. "You didn't have to follow me!"

"Yeah, and that wouldn't have made me look bad at all," Blue shot back. "And in case you haven't noticed, you need _me _to save your hide."

"I don't need you for anything! You never do anything Blue, you're not as high and mighty as you make yourself out to be!"

"What did you just say?!"

"You heard me!"

"Guys, calm down!" Red interjected, squeezing himself between the two who were now chest-to-chest. "Let's not fight!"

"STAY OUTTA IT!"

Navi and Sheik watched the three bicker as Vio casually examined his surroundings.

"Do they always do this…?" Sheik asked.

"Pretty much," Vio answered nonchalantly. They didn't notice Navi shaking in rage.

"HEY! LISTEN!" she squeaked loudly. The three Links froze in shock. "We already have enemies to defeat; we don't need to tear each other apart too!"

"She has a point," Vio and Sheik said matter-of-factly.

"I told you guys not to fight," Red pouted. Blue sighed.

"I'm sorry Green," he muttered.

"Sorry Blue," the other said just as begrudgingly.

"Sorry Red," they chorused.

"You better be," the red-clad Link sniffed. He just _hated _when the others fought.

_Sheik. Links. Listen. The place you are in is not a land of Hyrule. You have landed in Termina, Hyrule's counterpart. They are in grave danger as of now and need saving. Save them then return to the task at hand. Pink is waiting for you, you know. As is Malon._

_And remember; three days._

The five (who had fallen silent when the voices started to speak) had similar expressions of determination on their face.

"Let's hurry up and do this so we can get back to the Princess," Vio said, pulling out his bow.

"Right. I could sense her close by before we landed here," Sheik said as he readied throwing needles. "At least, I could sense _somebody. _I have a feeling they are connected to her."

"Alright! Let's do this!" Red cheered as he twirled around his Fire Rod. "We're coming, Pink!"

Blue and Green nodded at each other and unsheathed their swords before the group ran down the cave.

* * *

><p>"Hey… Hey… I'M BORED."<p>

"You are a prisoner, your entertainment is not important to me."

"I'll just keep pestering you then. Would it kill you to set up a TV here? Or a mini-fridge? Or even a computer! I haven't been on Tumblr in like two days!"

Ganondorf's eyebrow twitched as the fiery redhead went on about the wonders of Tumblr. The heroes had better come for her soon or he just might snap…

She had not stopped complaining since he set her up in the spacious cage in a corner of his throne room. She had had a much smaller cage at first but Ganondorf had simply not been able to put up with her whining and set up a much larger one. He did not want to kill his advantage over the group, but then again she was just so _annoying! _

Sighing, he called for some of his henchmen to come in. If he couldn't take his aggression out on her, some Lizalfos and traitor Hylians would have to do. Maybe it would scare the girl into submission too.

Cackling, he pulled out his sword and somehow found different ways to dismember them all. Calmly, he stacked them up and called for more henchmen to take them away. Sure enough, when he looked into the corner he saw the girl staring wide-eyed and trembling. She had backed into a corner of her cell and was extremely pale.

"I suggest you shut up," he commented lightly. "Or what happened to them will seem like a pat on the back and a kiss to the forehead."

Wordlessly, she nodded.

"By the way, your roots are showing. And here I thought I had finally met someone with the same color hair as me… brunette."

* * *

><p>I should get to this again within the next month! Hopefully… *crosses fingers*<p>

Until next time! :D


	11. Chapter 11

**It's Just High School… Right?**

A/N: Alright Chapter Ten! I got my Florence + the Machine and Lana Del Ray so let's do this! :3

I've been working on this all week! That's really rare…

I had an audition this past weekend and made it into District band as well as an honour band :3

_Review Replies:_

_Guest— _My goal for Zelda (as of right now) is to make the reader detest her, so thank you! Though my goal for the long run is to have the reader sympathise with her. Let's see if you feel that way by the time her plotline wraps up, hmm? :3 And don't worry sweetheart, your English is perfectly fine :3

_NekoKitty13—_I know… I just couldn't resist XD

_Jakobstanek—_Thank you very much! OMO your whole month? Really? Wow, thanks! I'm sad it's over too, since it was my last one :I

Warnings: mentions of abuse, definitely some violence, character deaths.

Disclaimer: I don't LoZ :C

* * *

><p>"Oh boy," Midna muttered while preparing a ball of energy. "I can tell this is going to be a long one…"<p>

Pink, clearly not listening to her Twili counterpart, was panicking. "What do we do what do we do!"

_Princess. Calm. _The voice sounded amused. _We will help. You need a bow and arrows._

"But we don't have any!"

_Just because you don't have any physical arrows… doesn't mean we can't make any ourselves. Focus your energy into your palms._

Pink hesitated at first, but then thought about how the voices had helped her and soothed her before, as well as the fact that there was no other choice. She took a deep breath then closed her eyes, doing as the voice said. She could feel a wind pass through her whole body and something materialize in her grasp. Opening her eyes, the blonde gasped as she saw what seemed to be a gold bow and arrows in her hands.

_See? Now you have your own bow and arrows._

She was still marveling over the fact that the weapons just appeared out of nowhere when a pair of achingly familiar arms wrapped around her. She turned around, but there was no one there… yet, she still felt the phantom arms.

"Sheik…?"

_The key to aiming is to keep both eyes open. Aim, and shoot… Ah! There! Now go free Bongo Bongo from her tortured existence. I leave the rest to you._

"No, wait Sheik-!"

It was too late. The sensation from the phantom arms had disappeared, leaving her feeling lonelier than ever.

"Pink I can't do this myself!" Midna shouted, bringing the blonde out of her stupor. Apparently the head had become visible to Midna when the monster was shot.

Pink shook her head to focus before brandishing her sword. "Right!"

Whether it was hope that Sheik was traveling with her in spirit after all or the renewed energy from finding the key to defeating Bongo Bongo, Pink didn't know, but she started to fight with a skill she had never had before.

The beast never stood a chance.

With a roar, the beast started to shrink and the poisonous liquid started to dry. The two princesses watched in horrified fascination as the former monster started to take the form of a human…

"She's… She's a Sheikah…" Pink whispered in wonder as the figure slowly stood.

"Ah, so you two are the ones who freed me," the rather intimidating woman said as she dusted herself off. "I thank you very much… Zelda, Princess of Destiny and Midna, Princess of Twilight."

"Who are you?" Midna asked curiously, poking her head out from behind the blonde.

"I am Impa, Guardian to the Princess of Destiny and one of the last Sheikahs…" at this, she sighed. "Though now I have ascended to a higher being, leaving only one Sheikah in existence…"

"Y- y- you're _Impa?_" Pink spluttered. "Impa _Shadows?_"

"The very same, Princess," Impa replied and raised an eyebrow. "Why…?"

"I never thought I'd meet you!" Pink squealed and threw herself at the Sheikah, who easily caught her in her arms. "Sheik spoke so highly of you so often, I found myself missing you although I'd never met you… You must show Sheik you're alive!"

The last female Sheikah chuckled softly. "Ah, Princess, you see I would, but… I am in fact _not _alive…"

"…What?"

"As you know, I was murdered when Sheik was still a child. I should have easily been able to overpower them, but they were not your normal crook and robbers… It's now obvious to me that they were sent from the Evil King so that I would be prevented from teaching Sheik the ways of the Sheikah.

"When Sheik was gone and the crime scene cleaned up, the Evil King sent some of his henchmen to fetch my body from the morgue, and was successful. My body was fixed up and turned into the beast you two defeated. For years I was trapped between this world and the Sacred Realm, unable to ascend but also unable to return to my nephew. For this, I thank you so much, Princesses. Because of you I am now able to perform my duties as the Sage of Shadows."

"But… but Sheik… you said you were never able to teach him the ways of the Sheikah…" the blonde said and clung to the taller female's waist. "Please don't go! We need you!"

"I'm sorry Princess," Impa said and laid a hand in her hair, moving her fingers slowly through the golden tresses. "But I must ascend if I am to help all of you in your quest. Here, take this. It has my power in it. You can use it to contact me whenever you wish." At that, the Sage stepped back slightly and procured a deep purple medallion. "Use it well."

"Thank you, Impa, Sage of Shadows," the two Princesses chorused and bowed.

"Oh Princesses," Impa laughed. "No need for formalities. I shall see you again, one day."

"Promise?" Pink asked wide-eyed.

"Promise. I must go now. You must find my nephew, okay? Right now he and the Links are lost, but they can be found. Find them and aid them on their quest as you were meant too."

"But… But what if they…"

"No worries. They will forgive you. In fact, they already have. They just want you safe. Take good care of Sheik. He loves you," the Sheikah said, making the Princess blush. She smirked. "You obviously love him too. Thank you for giving him someone to hold onto in this world.

"I'm afraid the time to part has come…"

"No!" the blonde cried and latched onto the Sage. "You can't!"

"I have too, Princess," Impa grunted as she tried to disentangle herself.

"Pink," Midna finally spoke up from her place. "Let her go."

"I can't!"

"Pink…" the blonde finally looked to her Twili counterpart. "You must."

Something passed between the two that made the Princess of Destiny's arms go limp. The Sheikah stood back into the portal of blue light that appeared.

"Goodbye, Princesses. Good luck. We shall meet again. Oh, and Princess Zelda?"

"Yeah?"

"Just because Sheik was only five when I died… Does not mean I wasn't able to teach him some of the ways of the Sheikah," she said before winking and disappearing in a flash of light.

"…Impa…" Pink hung her head as tears started to fall. "Why did you have to leave…?"

"To aid us on our quest," Midna said as she floated over and placed a comforting hand on the Hylian's back. "She knows she's no use, dwelling down here. She's so much more powerful in the Sacred Realm."

"…I guess you're right," the other said as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "Thanks Midna…"

"No problem. Now to find Zant…"

"Er…" Pink drew her sword as she heard familiar footsteps from above. "I think he's found us…"

"Midna! I know you're down here!" Zant sing-songed before dropping through the hole almost directly on top of Pink. "Now to make you mine!"

"Ready for another long fight?" Pink asked as she unsheathed her sword again.

"You bet. The last one was just a warm up," Midna giggled as she powered up a deep purple magic ball.

"Mid? But don't you—"

"The sooner I kill him the sooner his soul can rest in peace," the Twili cut her off. "So let's do this.

"Let's."

The two charged towards the laughing deranged Twili.

* * *

><p>The group of five trudged through the cave and emerged into what seemed to be the inside of a clock.<p>

"Where are we?" Red asked, clutching Blue's hand tightly. The blue-clad Link had stopped trying to get away a while ago and finally just accepted it.

"You're at Clock Town, my dear," a voice sounded from behind the heroes, making all of them (except Sheik, who had been trained to not react so harshly, and Vio, who stayed calm anyways) jump about ten feet in the air.

"Who IS that?!"

"I dunno, I dunno!"

"What the heck! Why did you do that!"

"Hello sir," Vio said calmly. "Where is Clock Town?"

"Why, in Termina, of course!" the man, who was now revealed, replied. He seemed to have a perpetual grin on his face that creeped the others out. "Where else?"

"Wait," Sheik interrupted. "So we're _not _in Hyrule?"

"Hyrule?" the man sounded puzzled, though his expression stayed the same. "What's that?"

"Nevermind. So who are you, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Me? Well, everyone just calls me the Happy Mask Salesman."

"Nice to meet you… I am Sheik," the last Sheikah said and shook the other's hand firmly.

"Sheik?" At once, the Happy Mask Salesman's face dropped out of its smile. "Sheik Shadows?"

"Yes…?"

"Then the rest of you must be Green, Vio, Red, and Blue, and Navi?"

"Yep."

"Pretty much."

"Yes!"

"Yes sir we are."

"Yes, that's right!"

Suddenly, the Salesman's smile was back, but it was now deranged. His eyes had opened to show how bloodshot the whites were. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!"

"Ah!" Red cried, clinging to Blue. "I'm sorry!"

"Hey!" Blue said angrily while discreetly slipping an arm around his red companion. "Who do you think you are-"

"We have been WAITING for YEARS! Termina has been in trouble without you guys and here you are, leisurely walking in without a care in the world… How dare you!"

"Excuse you!" Navi chimed. "These boys just woke up a few days ago!"

"Oh… they did? My sincerest apologies then. You must not have known," the Salesman's face had relaxed back into its usual creepy smile. "Well then I'll explain. Termina is in grave danger. You see, I had this mask that I had… er… _acquired _from an ancient tribe. It supposedly held an evil spirit named Majora. A few years ago, a Skull Kid knocked me out and took the mask… I need it back immediately! With it, Skull Kid has been tearing apart Termina! I need it back so I can trap Majora into its mask safely once again!"

"Oh boy," Blue groaned.

"Sounds scary…" Red trembled.

"I'll give that Skull Kid a taste of my sword," Green grinned and swished around his sword.

"It's a detour, but I'm assuming we'll not get back to our land until this Skull Kid is defeated," Vio sighed.

"That is correct!" the Salesman sing-songed. "Off you go!"

With that, the five heroes and their fairy had no choice but to venture off into the unknown.

OOO

The group arrived in Clock Town. It seemed to be ordinary enough; there were people bustling around everywhere just like any town.

"This isn't the image of a town being terrorized…" Green said, his eyebrows raised. "The citizens look like a mirror image of Hyrule's, in fact."

"That they do," Vio said as he examined his whereabouts. "It seems we're in the middle of this. Why don't we separate and have a look around?"

"Sounds good to me! Blue and I will go together," Red smiled and dragged the Blue Link off to the western part before he could do more than splutter. The other three shook their heads and smirked.

"I'll go to the northern part," Green said, stretching.

"I'll take the east," Vio offered.

"I guess that leaves the south to me," Sheik shrugged. He didn't really care either way.

"I'll go with Sheik!" Navi said as she bobbed over said Sheikah's head.

"Sounds like a plan. Meet back here in about two hours?" Green offered. The other two nodded (Navi bobbed) before going their separate ways.

* * *

><p>It was nearing Zelda's second day with the shadow and <em>already <em>she was annoyed to the point of killing him.

When he wasn't completely crude, he was in a bad mood and wanted nothing to do with her. Which was a shame because honestly the shadow was quite good-looking and—

Wait… she just thought the shadow was good-looking… but he looks exactly like _Link._

No. _Impossible. _There was _no way _she could think of the Hero that way, they've been enemies for far too long. Though, it _did _remind her of why she killed the Shadow. Yes, it was prophesied. But also... Well…

Zelda had always been a fan of built, blonde-haired-blue-eyed boys.

Fine. She'd admit it. She was jealous of that Sheikah. He had everything, and she had nothing. She had lost her father at the start of the war, forced into a position she didn't even want, and had inadvertently caused the war in the first place. The Sheikah had the pleasure of guiding the Hero on his quest, becoming rather close to said hero, _and _getting all the credit for aiding the savior of Hyrule? Oh no. Jealousy raged in her, poked at her and licked her insides and until she saw nothing but red. And when Impa contacted her and told her what she had to do to "save Hyrule", well, that was the perfect opportunity.

Too bad the Hero hated her after that little incident.

Now, though, _now _she had this little shadow of his. During her little inner monologue and reminiscing, she had sauntered over to the shadow and sat down gracefully beside him against the tree.

"Hello, Shadow. How are you feeling now?" she asked.

"Wonderful," he said sarcastically. She frowned. He had been in one of his moods for who knows how long now, and it was seriously starting to tick her off. She was _bored. _She wanted to _flirt. _When was her Light coming, anyway? She wanted to get out of here already.

"You've been in such a bad mood lately," she muttered.

He sighed in frustration and ran a hand through his hair, an action that was not lost on Zelda. "Because the others should have been here by now. They're taking too long to show up. What if they've gotten in trouble?"

"Well then I guess we'd be stuck together for eternity," she said and smiled, which faded at his lack of reaction.

"I just keep thinking they're in trouble," he muttered, clenching and unclenching his fingers. "I hope they haven't tried to take on Ganondorf yet, they need me for that…"

"Why would they need you?" the blonde asked her companion. "You're just a shadow."

"Yes, but I'm an important shadow," he replied slowly, as if explaining to a five-year-old child. "Without me and the Princess' powers unawakened, they have no way to seal him where he belongs. Without me and her power… they'll lose."

"So they lose. Who cares. It won't affect us any," she muttered, thoroughly incensed that he hadn't made a pass at her yet.

The purple haired shadow chuckled darkly. "Oh Princess, your jokes are so funny. You would _think _it wouldn't affect us. But if the Dark Lord succeeds, he will surely find us, we reek of magic and power. And under him, we'd become nothing more than slaves. We'd be puppets to his every command. It doesn't matter if you're dead; he'll have the whole Triforce. He'll be more powerful than the Goddesses themselves."

"…I think they should hurry up and get here."

"Agreed."

All thoughts of flirting faded from her mind.

* * *

><p>Guess what! Starting next week I go on Christmas vacay and should have more time for this, so expect another update soon :3<p>

Review? :D


	12. Chapter 12

**It's Just High School… Right?**

A/N: Christmas break yay :3 I WOULD have a Christmas Special, but… I don't think the story would flow well if everyone suddenly made up and had a tea party at Gannie's house… But that's just me :P

…Uh now it's way past Christmas break _and _spring break… *sweatdrop*

_Review Reply:_

_Jakobstanek—_Thank you! :D I have to admit, Shadow Link is too fun to write :3 Booo… I'd die like a piece of it purple anyways :P Well I'm flattered I made your month and I hope you feel better sweetheart!

Warnings: violence, character deaths.

Disclaimer: I don't LoZ :C

OH, and italics mean dreams/flashbacks… just a heads up ;P

* * *

><p>"I am so. <em>Done<em> with him," Midna groaned as her magic ball was dodged by the (still laughing) Twili.

"Why won't he die already?" Pink asked through gritted teeth as she lunged forward. Zant spun out of the way and Pink, yet again, barely avoided falling flat on her face. "I've had _enough _of this," she growled, roughly sheathing her sword. In its place, her bow and arrows appeared. "Mid, can you get him to stay in place for two freaking seconds?"

"I'll try," the Twilight Princess muttered. She thought for a moment before sighing. "Guess I have to use the old-fashioned way…"

With a battle cry, the imp threw herself onto the noticeably taller Twili's back.

"I didn't mean throw yourself on his back, what if I hit you?!" the Light Princess panicked. "Dang it Midna!"

"It's the best I could do!" Midna shouted back as she pressed a dark purple magic ball into the Usurper's neck, making him freeze. "I can't do this forever!"

"Alright, alright!" Pink quickly notched an arrow and aimed. She could practically _feel _someone guiding her arrow as the tip sunk deep into Zant's eye. He screamed and started to buck and flail much to Midna's chagrin.

"Oh no you don't!" she grunted as she placed one of her palms against his good eye. The other ripped out the arrow before it was placed over _that _eye. Whatever spell she used made him scream and freeze again. She nodded towards the blonde.

Said blonde nodded back before quickly unsheathing the Sage's Sword and ran the Usurper clean through.

Midna backflipped off his back and immediately her ponytail morphed into a huge fist before being forced down his throat. Pink winced and looked away as he was torn in half.

All was silent as the Princesses stared at each other.

"It's… over."

They smiled.

OOO

A few hours later found the Princesses stumbling outside the Temple. Pink was very weak, due to her having used most of her energy in the fight with Zant. Midna, who apparently had more stamina than her, struggled to support the blonde's weight (despite retaining her imp form). The sky was pitch black with the exception of a smattering of stars. The streets were empty and houses dark; it seemed that it was late at night.

"Just… just a little farther," Pink murmured. "Impa has a house we can stay in."

"How do you know?" Midna panted.

"Sheik told me about it when we took a field trip there," the blonde whispered while she pointed towards the house on top of the hill. "That's it."

"Of course it's the one on the hill," the Twili grumbled as she started her trek. "Perfect…."

The rest of the walk was filled with silence as the two didn't particularly want to alert anyone to their presence.

As quietly as possible, the imp entered the house and traveled up the stairs into the bedroom. Gently, she set down Pink and busied herself with preparing food she found in the kitchen.

"You have to replace the sugars in your body," she explained to the nearly-unconscious blonde. "Magic takes up a lot of carbs; if you do not replace them immediately, then it can overcome and destroy you."

"Mkay," the blonde said sleepily. "Hey, Mid? Why are you still tiny?"

"I have a theory… Do you remember Zant talking about his god?"

"How could I not?" Pink muttered as she was handed a sandwich. "What about it?"

"Well, I believe that this master of his is the one who gave him these powers. He couldn't do anything he did back there before he usurped the throne," Midna said seriously. "And if the source of his power is still alive, then that may be why my curse hasn't been lifted yet… Because it wasn't Zant's power used to place it, it was whoever his master is."

"Ahh… that makes sense," the other said as she finished her sandwich. "Don't worry, Mid. We'll get you your body back if it's the last thing I do. And you'll be even more beautiful than you are now… if that's even possible."

The imp grinned, turning to hand the girl another sandwich only to see that the blonde was already asleep.

"Sleep well, Light Princess," she said softly as she tucked in the blonde princess. "You deserve it more than anyone else in the world."

OOO

"_Princess…"_

_Pink opened her eyes to see that she was in a meadow. It was filled with lush grass and beautiful flowers of every kind. The strange part about this place was that the sky seemed to be made of water; it was a deep blue that ebbed and flowed. _

_What caught her attention almost immediately, however, was not the meadow or the sky. It was the fact that her best friend and her boyfriend was standing right in front of her._

"_Sheik?! Link!" she cried, scrambling up from the ground and throwing herself at them. The three went tumbling to the ground, laughing. "Sheik, I've missed you so much! And Link, you're one again! Did you find a way to turn yourself back?"_

"_Er, Princess…" Link murmured, the smile on his face quickly fading. "We aren't the Link and Sheik you know…"_

"_Oh dear," Sheik sighed. "There is a ton of explaining to do…"_

"_Where to begin?"_

"_I'll start," the Shadow Guide cleared his throat. "You see, we act like the Sheik and Link of your time, and we look like them too. But we are not them; instead, we are there ancestors. A long time ago, Ganondorf had risen for the first time. We are the Sheik and Link of that time."_

"_Wait, I'm confused," she said, still gripping the two tightly. "So you two are from a different time?"_

"_That is correct," Link nodded. "We are the first Link and Sheik to have existed. We are the first Link and Sheik to have defeated the Evil King. I have been reincarnated many times, but Sheik has only been reincarnated once… who is your boyfriend."_

"_But then where are the others?"_

"_They are… lost," Sheik said slowly. "Green managed to fall into a pit of some kind and the others had to jump into it to retrieve them and now they are in a parallel world to Hyrule. They must cleanse that world of the evil there before they can come back."_

"_You're kidding!" Pink exclaimed. "But then… What if it takes them…"_

"_Oh, do not worry. They only have three days," Link said. "They must play the Song of Time over and over to relive those. They will be back within three days."_

"_Well then… Should I go after them? What should I do? And what about Midna?"_

"_No Princess, do not go after them," the Shadow Guide said hurriedly. "They are more than capable of handling it. As for you… We have a task for you. The Links will need to complete this too to gain their full power after they come back. Go to the Water Temple."_

"_Your ancestor there is trapped," the Hero continued where the Sheikah left off. "She has committed atrocious deeds; she's the one who convinced you to stab Green and run away, you know. You must face her and cleanse her of the evil that plagued her heart while she slept. Cleanse her of her evil, and you will awaken your full power as the Leader of the Sages. With that power, you, Sheik, and the Links will be able to face the Evil King and place him back in his prison. The Links have a… friend, there, that they need to free. Without him, they cannot hope to succeed."_

"_Wait, but if they need to free someone there, and I need to go there to defeat my counterpart… then does that mean that I'll be trapped until they come for us?"_

"_Ah, well," Link grimaced. "They will come quickly. We will make sure of it."_

"_As for the Twilight Princess," Sheik said, "She can either accompany you on your quest or go back to her homeland. That is her choice; she is not part of this age-old conflict."_

"_Ah, speaking of the Twilight Princess, I believe she is trying to wake you up," the blonde Hylian frowned. "We will be with you always. Call upon us when you need help, okay? We will assist you however we can."_

"_Goodbye Princess. We love you," the Shadow Guide said as the two embraced the Princess firmly. "We will be watching."_

* * *

><p><em>You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?<em>

"_Sheik, Hurry! The Song of Time!"_

_Learn this. The Song of Healing will be your best friend._

"_Three days… Three days… it won't end…"_

_Bring me the Mask of Majora. Bring it to me and peace will be restored._

"_This… this statue… It looks like Green…"_

_The Elegy Statue. It is a clone of you. An empty-hearted soldier._

"NO! _Blue!"_

_You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you? What a shame…_

"_Only one of us can defeat him? But…"_

_Bring me the mask._

"_No. We do it together."_

_Three days._

"_No matter what."_

OOO

To say that the three days the boys and Navi relived time and time again were eventful would be an insult.

"I hope you learned your lesson Green," Blue grunted as he flopped face-down on the ground (a safe distance away from the hole).

"Hey, if I hadn't had fallen down there then that land would _still _be in chaos," the courageous one snapped. "And once again, I'll tell you—I didn't _fall, _I was _pulled._"

"Guys, come on—" Sheik started.

"Fighting isn't the answer," Vio added. Navi bobbed her whole form in agreement.

They went unnoticed.

"—And besides, you're an arrogant little piece of—"

"_Will you please stop?!" _Red cried. The two stopped, stunned.

"R- red?" the green one said cautiously, reaching out slowly towards the shaking adolescent. He spun out of the way, clearly upset.

"All you two ever do is fight! Even when we were fighting Majora, you two argued over who would do what! Well I'm tired of it!" Red fumed, his little fists clenched. "If we are ever going to defeat Ganondorf then we need to work together, and we can't do that if you two yell at each other all the time!"

"He has a point," the Sheikah murmured, moving to place a comforting hand on Red's (still trembling) shoulder.

"You two _know _he does, because Red never gets this mad without a good reason," the purple-clad one added.

"Red, I'm sorry," Blue muttered, looking at the ground. "I'm just tired."

"We all are," Green sighed tiredly. "Let's get back to the village. We can rest and plan on what we are supposed to do next."

Without a word, the group of heroes departed the hole; with any luck, they'd never see it again.

OOO

_Three days._

"_Did… did that statue just move?"_

_The mask. _

"_I… I couldn't save him…. I'm sorry."_

_WHERE IS IT?_

"_The Elegy statues… th- they're following us…"_

_You won't like me when I'm angry._

"_I'm so scared…"_

_You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?_

With a gasp, Red shot straight up. His skin was clammy and his whole body shook.

"Red?" Blue mumbled tiredly. "Are you okay?"

"Y- yeah," the innocent one whispered. "Go back to sleep Blue. I'm going to get some air."

"Alright, be careful," the other said before rolling over.

Red doubted he'd remember the conversation in the morning.

True to his word, the red-clad one padded out of the inn they were staying at and climbed the vines that inhabited the Ordonian rocks.

"Couldn't sleep?" Sheik asked without turning around. Jumping slightly, the smaller one nodded before realizing the Sheikah couldn't see him.

"Y- yeah… I keep dreaming about the statues and the Happy Mask Salesmen and… the threat of three days that hung over our heads for so long…"

"Come here," the honey blonde said, patting the spot beside him. Red obediently sat down beside him and was slightly surprised when he found himself pulled into a warm embrace.

"Link often had nightmares when we were young," Sheik explained softly. "He would wake up screaming and crying… Our parents never heard because they had night jobs, and the babysitter would be in a deep sleep. So I would always be the one to sneak into his room and hug him just like this and say, 'Poof! The monsters are gone. I scared them away for you.'"

"Sheik—"

"And he would be so happy, but the fear wouldn't go away. So he would say, 'Sheik, what if they come back when you left?' and I would tell him, 'They're not going to come back silly, because I'm going to stay here with you. That's what big brothers do; they look out for their little brothers.' And just like that, he could sleep peacefully for the rest of the night."

"I… I'm sorry, Sheik," Red sniffled into the other's chest. "I know you must miss him very much…"

"Yeah, I do," Sheik whispered, shifting so he had one arm around Red (who snuggled into his side). "But I know that this is the only way to restore peace in Hyrule. And I know if Link had known this would happen, he still would have done it. He was the kind of person who would give up everything for the people he loves. I just hate that my little brother was the scrapegoat in this…"

"Me too," Red offered. "The four of us never wanted this either. We love being heroes, of course, it's in our nature. But we've always hated that Link and his family and friends had to suffer because of something beyond his control. It's not fair to him, and it's not fair to anyone."

"It's not fair to you either, Red. You deserve to be your own person, too…"

"I know," Red said. "I know."

The two fell silent and stared at the stars.

The others would find them in the morning, tangled into each other with dried tears on their faces.

* * *

><p>AAAAAAND done! I couldn't resist putting some BEN in there haha :P<p>

I'm just gonna tell you right now I dunno when the next update will be. I got college stuff and prom and band and theatre and wow :P

Until next time!


	13. Chapter 13

It's Just High School… Right?

A/N: Hey guys! I really have nothing to say except that I'm REALLY sorry this took so long, and I am going to write at least three chapters in advance so I have guaranteed uploads for three weeks at least!

Also, if I go without an update for awhile and you're wondering where I am, then I have most likely have updated on my profile where I am! ^^

Warnings: violence, character death, and bending of the OOT plot (It IS an AU)

Disclaimer: I don't own LoZ :C

OH, and italics mean dreams/flashbacks… just a heads up ;P

* * *

><p>The group of six trekked out of the village in the morning, sighing and stretching tiredly.<p>

"You know, Red's back wouldn't hurt so much if _you_ hadn't had made him sleep on the ground like that," Blue grumbled, carrying the mentioned Link on his back.

"Shut up. I didn't make him, he came to me," Sheik said irritably, glaring weakly at the Blue Link. The stress of traveling and sleeping on the hard ground every night was starting to wear down on him.

"Come on guys, let's not start this," Green muttered. "I'm quite frankly done with arguing."

"We wouldn't be so irritable if _you _and _Blue _hadn't decided that you were going to yell at each other every second of every day," Vio mumbled. The rest of the group glared, but decided not to leave it at that.

"So… where do we go now?" Red chirped, clinging to Blue like a monkey.

"We have no idea," Sheik whispered, looking wide eyed around him. "Where even are we? There's _no way _this is Hyrule…"

Indeed, the boys had exited the place instead to find what was once downtown Hyrule to be instead a huge vast of land. What looked to be Lake Hylia stretched off to the right of them, while on the left there was an expansive desert. Stretching out in front of them was a mountain, a ranch, and what looked to be a town.

"This is Hyrule how Ganondorf remembers it!" Navi squeaked, flying off of Sheik's shoulder to hover in front of the group. "Way back a long time ago, during the Hero of Time's era, this was how Hyrule was laid out! Right there," she pointed to the right, "Is Lake Hylia and Zora's Domain, and to the north of that is Kakariko Village and Death Mountain. To the left of there is Castle Town and LonLon Ranch, and to the left of us is Gerudo Desert!"

"Whoah… Is there any way to change it back…?" the Sheikah whispered, looking around him.

"I don't know," Vio murmured. "We might be able to find the answer on the way, just like how we may be able to find the answer on whether or not we can change back to Link."

"This… this is crazy," Sheik muttered. Everything he loved was being taken away from him. First Malon, then his brother, then his girlfriend, and now even his cozy house. It was then he vowed to do anything to defeat the Usurper King himself. "Wait, did you say LonLon Ranch?"

"Oh, right," Green's eyes lit up in understanding. "That's the ranch Talon and Malon own, right?"

"That may be true, but we don't have time to stop by there if we want to reach the Princess, you know," Blue pointed out, adjusting Red on his back.

"But—"

"Blue… Blue has a point," Green said, his shoulders slumping. "Pink is our first priority, along with cleansing the temples. Without the Sage's Medallions and the Princess of Destiny, we can kiss our chances at defeating Ganondorf goodbye."

With eyes downcast, Sheik nodded, thoroughly crestfallen. He had this feeling that Talon could give him a lead on the Princess, but didn't know how to get them to believe him… maybe they could stop by after the next temple.

"We should go to Death Mountain! That's where Link went after he purified the Forest Temple," she chirped, situating herself again on Sheik's shoulder. He saw rather than felt the tiny hand rest on his cheek in consolation, but appreciated the comfort all the same.

The Heroes all looked at each other and shrugged, considering they literally had no better leads towards their search for Pink.

"I do feel this… presence," Sheik started slowly. "It's not Pink, but… it feels like… someone connected to her."

"Well then it's settled. We'll head that way and with any luck we'll run into the Princess," Vio said, resolution clear in his voice. The rest of the group gave each other determined nods and headed that way.

OOO

As they entered Kakariko, Sheik stopped short, his eyes going wide. He thought for a second—

But no, it was just an average looking brunette girl. Goddesses, he must really miss Pink if he thought he was seeing her everywhere…

As he shook his head and started moving forward again, the girl locked eyes with him while lightly bumping his shoulder. "Sorry," she mumbled, blushing a bit and looking down at the ground.

"Don't… Don't worry about it," he murmured back as she started to walk away again. He stared at her back, utterly bewildered as to how a lone girl could travel on her own with nothing but her sword and what looked to be a torn, but elaborate dress. And… did her shadow just _move?_

What was even more bewildering was the fact that the mental signals he had been receiving that he had believed were connected to his girlfriend were coming from her.

"Sheik! You don't see Pink for a few days and already you got your eye on another girl?" Blue called, his eyes narrowed to slits.

"What? Of course not!" he glared back, hurrying to catch up with the rest of the group. "She just felt… familiar, that's all."

"Whatever, just don't cheat on her before you even have a chance to break up with her," the angry Link muttered, adjusting (the now sleeping) Red on his back and taking lead of the group.

Sheik glared weakly at his back, willing him to catch fire… but alas, no such luck.

Navi, on his shoulder, bit her lip and looked back in the direction the strange girl went, feeling enormously guilty.

OOO

"So this is the Goron's home?" Red asked as he yawned and rubbed his eyes cutely. Blue looked back at him and fought back a smile. Behind him, both Green and Vio looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

"Yeah! It's really empty though," Navi said, hovering by Green's head. "I wonder where all the Gorons are…"

"There's one right there!" Red piped up, pointing to the lone Goron rolling around the spiral. The cave was made up of one huge spiral, starting from what seemed to be a room at the bottom to a doorway leading outside at the top. The Goron was currently rolling from the top and fast approaching them.

"Well, maybe we should ask him what's going on," Sheik suggested as the Goron got closer. "Excuse me!" he called, standing right in front of it.

The others burst into laughter when he was paid no mind and was instead bowled over.

"Sheik! Are you okay?" Navi asked, whizzing around his head at lightning speed as Vio helped him to his feet.

"Yeah," he muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "Nothing hurt except for my pride…"

"Hm," Vio said as he stared at the bomb flowers attached to the walls. "Maybe…"

"I think I know what you're thinking Vi," Green grinned at his purple counterpart and pulled a flower of the wall. "Red, can you light this for me?"

"Yeah, sure," the cheerful Link bubbled and climbed off Blue's back before lighting the fuse on the bomb. With great concentration, the Green Link lobbed the flower at the rolling rock, which immediately stopped when the flower exploded.

"Excuse me!" Vio called as he jogged down to the confused Goron. "Excuse me. Can you tell me where the other Gorons are?"

"You want to know where the others are, goro?" he asked, blinking up at them. "They're… well, they're… They've been taken to be fed to Volvagia!" he wailed.

"Volvagia?" Red asked. "Who's that?"

"A dragon that had been locked away a long time ago, but has been awakened by my father!" the Goron continued tearfully. "Once the world shifted, us Gorons took refuge here in Death Mountain since we thrive in the heat. One day, my father, Darbus, started acting strangely and began locking everyone up in the mountains. Darunia hid me before they were all taken away and I heard him mentioning that they were able to chain him up before they got to me! But then he disappeared too and now everyone is gone!" the Goron cried, clearly distraught.

"Don't worry! We'll get them back for you, no matter what!" Red said determinedly, brandishing his Fire Rod. The others nodded before brandishing their weapons.

"You can count on us," Green promised. "We'll get them all back for you."

"Really, brothers?" he asked, eyes alight with hope. "Oh thank you! Thank you so much, goro! We'll find a way to repay you!"

"It's our duty to help!" Navi squeaked, flying around the Goron's head. "Let's go!"

"The entrance to the tunnel is this way, brothers! Follow me, goro!"

Without another thought, the heroes entered the temple.

* * *

><p>"Mid, you really don't have—"<p>

"But I want too. I want to help you," the Twilight Princess insisted. "Also, if I'm honest, it's not entirely selfless. If you become more powerful and meet up with your friends, then we are more likely to defeat Ganondorf and return me to my true form."

"Well… when you put it that way… I feel a bit better about it," Pink grinned. "So then, now that that's settled, let's draw out a plan."

The princesses gathered around the table and spread out the map they had acquired from the town. "This is where we are," Pink pointed to Kakariko. "We need to be here," she continued, pointing to Lake Hylia. "So if we stop here," she then pointed to LonLon Ranch, "We can stop by my friend's ranch and possibly borrow a horse."

"Your friend… has a ranch?" Midna blinked.

"Ah… yeah," Pink scratched the back of her head and looked as if she had tasted something sour. "My friend, Malon, and her father, Talon, owned a ranch out in the country before the geography changed. Now the ranch is out in Hyrule Field. Malon's the one… well, she's the one who is currently being held captive by Ganondorf. Speaking of… I have no idea if anyone's told Talon about Malon… this should be fun…"

"Well… Maybe this will be good for us then," Midna suggested. "We do need a better mode of transportation besides walking, and he really should be notified of his daughter."

"Yeah… you're right," the blonde's shoulders slumped. "Well then, we should head out immediately. If we leave right now, we could reach the ranch before nightfall according to this map. I'm sure Talon won't be opposed to us sleeping in his home either, he's known me since I was a kid."

"Alright then. Let's go," Midna stated while they gathered their supplies. With a determined nod to each other, they both headed for the door.

As they exited the back of the house, a certain Sheikah stopped short, looking in their direction. Pink's eyes widened before the latest words of Sheik and Link echoed in her head.

"_Princess, you may see Sheik and the Links again. Now is not the time to join up with them. No, purifying your light is of the utmost importance, and you cannot make any side trips. There will already be a quest for you to do before you are able to even enter the temple. If you see them, do not acknowledge them. I know it may be hard, but it must be done for the good of Hyrule. Let us teach you how to disguise yourself…"_

With a sigh, Pink took one last look at her boyfriend before forming a disguise over herself and walking on. She couldn't stop herself from making eye contact and slightly bumping into the Sheikah's shoulder. From her shadow, Midna shook her head, amused.

The two then exited the village, aware of the ruby red gaze burning a hole in her back.

OOO

"Something feels… different," Pink muttered as they approached LonLon Ranch. An ominous grey cloud hung over the ranch. "You better stay in my shadow for now."

"Right." Midna disappeared into the Light Princess's shadow, ready to jump up and attack at any minute. The blonde firmly grabbed the hilt of her Sage's Sword before striding into the ranch.

"Talon?" she called. "Talon, are you alright? It's Pink!"

"Pink…?" without warning, a hand shot out of the door she had just passed by and yanked her inside.

"AH!" she braced herself to swing with all of her weight before she stopped and blinked. "T- Talon?"

"Pink!" she was met with an armful of the ranch-owner. "Oh, thank goodness! When Hyrule was shot to hell I feared the worst for you kids!" He let go of her, eyes big and hopeful. "Please tell me you know where my Malon is!"

"I… We should sit down," she led him over to a pile of hay and sat him down before taking a deep breath and explaining what had happened up until then. "And now we're trying to reach Lake Hylia so we can find who we're supposed to look for there. I'm still a bit fuzzy on the specifics, but I know that I have to reach whoever it is to receive the power to defeat Ganondorf and save Malon."

"My dear little Mal… That blasted Ganondorf! First he takes my daughter and then takes over my ranch!" he fumed. "If I could, I would take him down _myself!_"

"Don't worry Talon. We'll save Mal and help you with your ranch," she promised. "Who is this..?"

"His name is Ingo," he grunted. "He was sent here by that Usurper King himself. He took over my ranch, and what's worse, he's decided that he's going to hand over Epona to Ganondorf."

"He's going too… To hand over Epona?!" she spluttered. Epona was Link's horse and was beloved by everyone in her group. Though she only tolerated Sheik and Pink she absolutely adored Link and Malon. "Okay, now that guy is _seriously _dead," she stated while looking down at her shadow, who nodded and went through the motions of cracking her knuckles.

"I meant to ask… I've noticed that your shadow uh… doesn't match your body and it keeps… moving on its own."

"Oh, that's a partner I encountered on my travels," she grinned crookedly and beckoned at her shadow. "Come on out, Mid. Talon can be trusted."

Without a word, the imp jumped out of the blonde's shadow and grinned.

"This is Midna," Pink explained. "She's the Twilight Princess and essentially my counterpart. She's been cursed by Ganondorf, which is why she's in an imp form right now."

"Well, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance miss," Talon bowed.

"What a gentleman," Midna giggled.

"I wish I could give you Epona, Pink. But I just don't know how without bringing harm to this ranch and possibly Malon," Talon said sadly.

"…Do you think, if Ingo was gone, then your ranch and Epona would be safe?"

"Mmm… possibly. It's not like Ganondorf knew Epona was going to be presented to him, it was supposed to be a surprise," his eyebrows knitted together. "Why, what are you planning Pink?"

She said nothing, but instead nodded and looked away, feeling the weight of her new plan press down onto her. There was really only way to remedy this situation and save the ranch.

But she had to do it. So she could save Malon quickly and give Talon a place in which to wait safely for his little girl to come back.

OOO

They waited until nightfall.

Midna and Pink stayed in the barn they had been pulled into, plotting for the most efficient way to… dispose… of the threat that had plagued the ranch.

"Alright, Pink, are you ready?"

"…Yeah…"

Midna looked over at her counterpart's shaking form and laid a small comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey, don't think about it too much. The more you think, the more you're going to psyche yourself out. If you can't do it I'll be here to step in."

"Right… right," she took a deep breath and opened the door before stealing away into the night. There were perks to practically being raised by a Sheikah—she knew how to sneak around. She creeped into another building, and up the steps before pausing right outside a door. She pressed her ear up against the door, hearing the tell-tale even breathing of someone asleep. Taking another deep breath, she unsheathed her sword and silently entered the room.

She stood in the middle of the room for a minute, letting her eyes get accustomed to the dark and searching for the man she was supposed to take care of. She moved over to the bed, staring down at the man in question, watching his chest rise and fall with the undeniable sign of life—

Before plunging her sword down into his chest. He awoke with a yell, his eyes darting everywhere and struggling to get away. With tears in her eyes, she pressed down harder before twisting, hearing the sickening crunch. His struggles increased briefly before he finally fell limp.

Pink stood, motionless for a moment, staring wide-eyed down at the remnants of what she had just done. This wasn't like the monsters she had to kill; this wasn't even like Zant. At least with Zant, they were purging him of his evil. He wasn't actually human anymore by the time they had disposed of him. This… this was an actual human life. Maybe she could have convinced him he was misguided, in the wrong… Maybe she could have…

Suddenly, the floor was filled with the contents of her dinner.

"Pink!" Midna immediately flew out of her shadow and took her face in her hands. Looking deeply into the blonde's stricken eyes, she sighed. "Oh, Pink… I'm truly sorry. I should have done this for you."

Shaking, Pink turned her eyes from the corpse to her friend. She seemed unable to speak.

"You're in shock," the imp murmured. "Come on; let's get you out of here. You've seen enough of this."

Nodding mechanically, the other turned away and somehow managed to get herself down the stairs. Quietly, Midna led her into the room at the foot of the stairs and tucked her in bed before leaving the room. Pink could vaguely hear her calling Talon.

"She's in shock," she heard the imp saying outside the door. "If at all possible, I think we should leave tomorrow. If she stays here, and accidentally comes across _that_ while you're working… well, it won't be good."

"Right. You're right, miss. I'll prepare Epona for you as soon as I wake up tomorrow. I'm sorry, I had no idea she'd do that..."

Pink turned away, pressing the pillow down on her ears to block out the sounds of the two talking before falling into a fitful sleep.

OOO

"Thank you for allowing us to borrow Epona, Talon," Pink said as she situated the saddle on said horse's back. Epona snorted a bit irritably, but otherwise made no fuss. She was a rather intelligent horse, and seemed to know that this was necessary to get her master back.

"Oh, it's no problem, my dear. I really can't thank you enough for all your troubles—"

"Don't… Don't worry about it," she smiled weakly before climbing up onto the saddle. Thankfully, Link had taught her how to ride when they were younger. "We'll be back with the Links, Sheik, Malon, and Epona soon. I promise."

"Ah, my Malon's a tough girl. She'll be able to stick it out until you get there to free her. You be careful and do whatever it is you need to do, y'hear?" Talon said as he placed plenty of food, water, and LonLon milk in the saddlebag.

"Right. Thank you, Talon."

He grinned crookedly at her. "Hey, you know I'd do anything for you kids. And besides, it's an honor to help the Princess of Hyrule!"

"Princess… that'll take some getting used to," she muttered as she took hold of the reigns. "Are you ready, Mid?"

"Almost," the imp said before turning to Talon. "Thank you very much. You will be suitably rewarded when this is over."

"Aw, like I told Pink here, it's no trouble," he smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Anything to save Hyrule and get my little girl back."

With Midna situated in her shadow, Pink looked down at him and nodded before snapping the reigns. "We'll be back!" she yelled over her shoulder.

OOO

"Well… Here we are," Pink muttered, jumping off the saddle and walking towards the lake. She noticed the lake looked rather… polluted as well as empty. "The only problem is…"

"What is it?" Midna asked, raising up out of her shadow and peering down at the temple. "…Oh," she whispered, spotting the predicament.

"It's getting dark anyways. We should pull up camp for the night," the blonde suggested. "Maybe we can find a solution to get into the temple while we're eating. Let's see what Talon packed us..."

After a rather filling dinner of cheese, bread, and fish roasted over a fire with a half a bottle of LonLon milk (she swore that milk had magical properties with the way it never spoiled) each, Midna set out their bedrolls as Pink situated herself to take first watch.

"Are you sure you want too?" Midna asked. "I can take first watch—"

"No, it's okay," the blonde flashed a smile at her friend. "I don't like being woken up in the middle of the night anyways."

"Yeah… you're right. Alright then, make sure to wake me up in a few hours, okay?"

"Okay," she echoed. "Night, Mid."

Midna smiled sleepily before rolling over. Within a few seconds she was out like a light, much to the amusement of her blonde friend.

_How am I supposed to get down there if I can't breathe underwater? _Pink thought, sighing and looking toward the lake. It was at that moment that something stumbling towards the temple. _What…?_

Having the strong feeling that she should go towards the figure, she quietly unsheathed the Sage's Sword and crept forward. Once she was about ten feet away from the figure, she could distinctly see who it was.

"Ruto!" she gasped, running forward.

* * *

><p>So that's it for this chapter! Thanks for reading!<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

It's Just High School… Right?

A/N: Hey guys! I don't really have anything to say sooo…..

Warnings: Fire Temple, more violence possibly, more character deaths, very creative liberty with the Temple…

Disclaimer: I don't own LoZ :C

OH, and italics mean dreams/flashbacks… just a heads up!

* * *

><p>The girl was badly hurt. Not only that, but the former professional swimmer's skin had taken on a blue tinge, as well as fins and gills…<p>

"Ruto! Come on, let's get you fixed up," she said, picking up the girl and carrying her back to the makeshift camp.

"Pink…? Pink? Oh Goddesses, you're okay!" the girl cried. "I've been looking for you everywhere! Is Sheik and Link with you?"

"No," the blonde shook her head sadly. "We were… er… separated. Why do you ask?"

"When the world changed, my father and I headed to Lake Hylia. Once we had reached the lake, we noticed our bodies had started… changing. Our skin took on a blue hue, we grew fins, and we acquired gills. The others noticed that the same thing was starting to happen to them too, and that we rather resembled the Zora from the old myths, so to honor them, we named our home Zora's Domain. I started to feel like if anything, I could make a life there, but then… Then, Zora's Domain started to freeze over, and with the help of the others, I was able to escape, but the rest are now frozen underwater… and I just had this feeling I needed to find you guys for help, but I got attacked by a wolfos on my way here, and…"

"Sh, sh… calm down," Pink soothed as she wrapped the Zora's wound. "You'll be okay now. I promise. We'll help you set your people free, whatever it takes," she continued determinedly.

"Thank you, thank you so much Pink," Ruto said gratefully, wiping away her tears and giving a shaky smile. "I'm so sorry I treated you the way I did in high school…"

"Don't worry about it. I hardly think we should be worrying about high school when Hyrule has been shot to hell," the blonde snorted. With a shaky smile and weak chuckle, the other agreed.

OOO

"By the way, Ruto," Pink said as they entered Zora's Domain. After a quick introduction and explanation, Midna was on board with the new plan. "Pardon me for asking, but… It's only been a few days, right? How did you, er, transform that fast? Theoretically, a change of that caliber should have taken weeks…"

"It… It _has _been weeks," Ruto replied, startled. "It's been at least two months since the initial attack."

"…What? But… I thought it had only been a couple of days…"

"Yeah, we were only in the Shadow Temple for two days at the most," Midna added, sounding troubled.

"I- I'm sorry Pink, but it's been longer than that," the Zora cast a worried look at her. "Maybe you just didn't realize how long you stayed in the Shadow Temple?"

"Maybe," Pink muttered. It still bothered her though. It just didn't add up…

"Here we are," the Zora said, gesturing to the Ice Cavern in front of them. "In there should hopefully be a blue flame that will at least unfreeze the King Zora and the store. If you can retrieve that, we will give you a Zora's tunic that will allow you to breathe underwater, and will allow you to access the Water Temple… Where you will also find the way to free the rest of us."

"Right. Got it," Pink said, nodding at Ruto. With that, she descended into the Cavern, Midna hot on her heels.

OOO

The Princesses came out of the Ice Cavern sweaty, bruised, and fatigued, but with a bottle of blue flames in their hands and a victorious grin on their faces.

"This is what we needed, right?" the Twilight Princess asked the Zora Princess who looked their way.

"Yes, that's exactly what we need!" the other cheered. "Come with me, the King and the store is this way!"

The trio of Princesses walked back to the interior of Zora's Domain, Pink and Midna taking the time to sip on potions while they traveled.

"Here, pour it on him," Ruto urged.

"Wh- pour it?" Pink blinked.

"Yes! Just trust me!"

Shrugging, Midna uncorked her bottle and tipped it over. The fire was poured out like a liquid, to the Princess' surprise.

"Oh my, it's good to stretch again!" the large Zora declared as the red ice melted around him.

"Father!" the Zora Princess cried, throwing her arms around his neck.

"My dear Ruto, I'm so glad to see you're unharmed. And these young ladies are…?"

"Oh, Father, these are Pink and Midna, the Princesses of Hyrule and Twilight respectively. They helped me to free you and they're going to free our people! But first, they need a tunic, and they're pretty expensive…"

"Say no more," he said, pulling a voucher from thin air. "I trust the Twilight Princess can hide herself within your shadow, so I'm assuming one will be enough?"

"Yes, that will be more than enough. Thank you," Pink said, bowing deeply.

"Nonsense," the Zora King chuckled with a wave of his hand. "Anything to help the girls who saved my little girl."

"Ruto," Pink turned to the petite Zora. "Are you going to come with us?"

"I wish I could," she said wistfully. "But… my duty is here. Now that my father has unfrozen, it is up to me to protect him from any potential threats."

"We understand," Midna smiled at her. "We wish you the best of luck."

"And us, you," Ruto said, giving each of them a hug. "I cannot thank you enough for your help!"

The Princesses then departed to finally cleanse the darkness that surrounded them.

* * *

><p>"Wow," Red breathed. "It's just… It's so beau—"<p>

"It's freaking hot in here!" Blue grouched. "Where are all the Gorons so we can get OUT of here already!"

The others paid no heed to the grouchy Link as they crossed the bridge to the entrance. Once inside, they spotted a Goron with a contemplative look on his face as he stared at the enormous door right in front of him.

"Excuse me!" Green yelled across the chasm. "Are you Darunia?"

"Hm? Oh, hey brothers!" Darunia waved. "Yes, I'm Darunia. I take it the little tyke sent you?"

"Yeah, he told us the other Gorons were captured and are going to be offered to Volvagia," Sheik called. "We're going to work on freeing them."

"Okay, sounds good, goro! I'll go try to calm down Darbus then!" the Goron waved before going opening the door. "You'll need this key to open this door again!"

"Oh, I'll get it!" Navi said determinedly before flying across the chasm to pick up the key. She brought it back across with little difficulty.

"Thanks!" Green waved. "We'll come help you after we free the others!"

"Thanks, brothers!" Darunia smiled hugely at them before disappearing through the door.

"Well… I guess now we're stuck with actually freeing all of them," Blue muttered, shoulders hunched. "Let's go, then."

OOO

"This place is huge!" Sheik said with wide eyes as they entered the boulder maze.

"Navi," Vio murmured. "Can you please go check for a Goron in here?"

"You can count on me!" the fairy said determinedly before flying off. Within a few seconds, she zoomed back, tinkling excitedly in front of them. "There's two here!"

"Thanks Navi!" Red beamed, reaching out his palm so she could land on it. With a giggle, he softly nuzzled her tiny body with his cheek. "You're the best!"

"Thanks Red," she squeaked, her light momentarily going red. The others smiled at the scene before making a plan.

"Okay, so how about you two—" Vio said, pointing to Blue and Red, "Go release one, and we'll go release the other."

"Sounds good!" Red chirped before grabbing Blue's hand and dragging him off. Navi drifted off after them.

"Alright, let's go then," Sheik said, cracking his knuckles and drawing out his knife.

OOO

"Come on Red! Just a little farther!" Blue called, panic beginning to leak in his voice as the timer began to tick faster. The others stared wide eyed as the red clad Link climbed even faster up the fence, letting out a soft noise of distress as the metal grew hotter under his hands. Blue growled, his eyes growing even more panicked.

"Don't worry Blue, he's almost there," Sheik murmured, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. "He's still got time."

The group had decided that since Red was the least affected by the heat, even practically thriving in it, he should be the one to climb the fence.

What they didn't anticipate, however, was the rather short amount of time the Red Link would _have _to climb the fence.

With a cry, Red managed to pull himself over the wall just as the flames started up again.

"Red!" Blue yelled. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" he called back down once he caught his breath. "I'm gonna open the chest!"

"Thank Nayru he's okay," Green breathed. "I thought for a second—"

Vio snorted. "Red's a lot tougher than you guys give him credit for," he said drily.

"Vi's right," Sheik agreed. "He is very innocent, but Red can be fierce when he needs to be. He's just as capable as the rest of us," he added before moving to press the switch so the red-clad Link could jump down.

"Here you go Blue!" the mentioned Link said, holding out a hammer. "Your hammer was inside the chest!"

"Thanks," he muttered, awkwardly patting Red's shoulder. Red beamed all the same.

"How are your hands Red?" Vio asked. "I know the metal must have been hot…"

"Oh, they're okay," he replied, trying to shrug it off as he equipped his Fire Rod. The wince of pain did not go unnoticed.

"Show me your hands," the hotheaded one demanded, leaving no room for argument.

"It's nothing, Blue," Red sighed. "They're just a bit burned, that's all. Nothing I can't handle."

"Bullcrap!" the other said hotly as he examined the burns. "Your hands are a mess!" he snapped before rummaging in his pack for the potions they picked up from Kakariko.

"Don't waste that on me—"

"It's not wasting it Red," Green said gently as Blue uncorked the bottle and took the other's hand with surprising gentleness. "This type of thing is exactly what we picked it up for. How can you fight with us if it hurts too much to grip your sword or your rod?"

"Green's right," Blue grunted as he poured a couple drops onto Red's palms. "You're vital to us. We need you to be able to fight." He watched the burns fade, satisfied, before giving the bottle to the red-clad Link. "Drink a mouthful. That should be enough."

"…Thanks," he said softly before taking a mouthful.

"Feel better?" Sheik asked, grinning over at him. Red nodded happily.

"Well then, shall we go? We still have some Gorons to save!" he chirped before bounding ahead. The others smiled fondly before following.

OOO

"Oh great," Blue groaned the moment they walked in the room. "I can just FEEL that we have an enemy we have to defeat in here."

"It does seem rather fishy," Vio agreed as he inspected one of the many lava filled holes on the ground.

"Vio, watch out!" Sheik yelled, managing to tackle the Link out of the way as a huge dragon erupted from the floor, spraying the immediate vicinity with lava.

"Thanks," the purple clad Link muttered as he got up. "It would not have boded well if I had been incinerated…"

"Yeah," Sheik agreed. "We kind of need you to strategize for us."

"Vio what do we do!" Green cried, as if on cue.

"Give me a moment," Vio replied as the dragon disappeared from the hole and reappeared in the hole nearest Blue and Red. "Blue, smash his head with your hammer!"

"Right!" said Link ran forward and proceeded to wreck shop with his hammer.

"Keep it up!" Red encouraged.

Smirking, Blue chased the dragon around. "You can run but eventually I'm still gonna smash your brains out!"

With a mighty roar, the dragon took to the air, the floor trembling beneath the Hero's feet.

"No!" Sheik yelled, running forward. He managed to jump onto Volvagia's back just as the dragon flew high into the air.

"Sheik!" Green called. "Hang on tight!"

"I'll try!" the Sheikah grunted, clinging tightly to the scales and wincing as the monster smashed into the ceiling, making rocks and debris fall to the ground. The twang of a bow assured him that Vio had thought of a plan and was quickly making use of it.

"I wonder…" he muttered to himself before shimmying his way to the dragon's wings and slashing at it with his knife. He managed to make a couple sizable rips before it fell down with another earth rumbling roar.

"Are you okay?" Red asked as he ran forward to help Sheik to his feet (for he had been thrown to the side when the dragon had crashed to the floor).

"Yeah, I'm fine," the Sheikah said, standing up and dusting himself off before getting out of the way. "Thanks, Red."

"Blue! Now!" Vio yelled. "Use your hammer now!"

"On it!"

The fight didn't last much longer.

"Good going Blue! You did awesome!" Red smiled and hugged his friend, who flushed.

"Yeah, thanks. It… It was nothing," he mumbled.

"So now we've freed all the Gorons and managed to take down Volvagia so it shouldn't pose a threat anymore," Green said thoughtfully. "So now we should go help Darunia with Darbus, yeah?"

"Yeah!" Navi said as she whizzed around their heads. "We need to go make sure they're both okay!"

"But first," Vio said, making all of them turn to him. He gestured to the chest that had appeared beside him. "We should open this."

"Right," Sheik replied before moving to open it. "Oh, it's Iron Boots!"

"Those can be dead useful," Green commented before storing him in his pack.

"Speaking of," Sheik stared openly. "How do you guys carry everything in your packs without weighing you down…?"

Blue shrugged as he opened the door. "We don't know. We don't question it," he grunted.

"Yeah, we're just thankful we can carry our stuff without any hindrance!" Red chirped as he followed Blue.

"Well… Okay," Sheik said, still a bit bemused. He shook his head before following the rest.

_I wish _I _could have a fancy pack…_

OOO

"Where's Darunia?" Red whispered as they entered the room.

"I don't know," Green muttered. "I don't see him anywhere."

Feeling a bit troubled, the group entered the room. There, they saw a huge bear-like figure chained to the floor and the ceiling.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Navi trembled as she hid in the Sheikah's shoulder-length hair. Sheik reached up to gently pet her absentmindedly while reaching for his dagger.

"Is he… Asleep?" Vio asked, cautiously inching forward, bow and arrows in hand. The other three drew their swords warily.

"Hey," Blue said, squinting off to the side. "Is that…?"

"Darunia!" Red gasped, running over to the fallen Goron. "Darunia, are you okay?!"

"Brother?" Darunia mumbled. "Be careful, goro! He could wake up any—"

With a huge roar, the massive figure seemed to come to life. Flames sprouted all over his body as he broke his chains.

"Red! Look after Darunia!" Green called as he moved to circle the beast.

"What IS this thing?!" Blue yelled as he moved to place himself between Red and the monster.

"It's Darbus! He's been affected by Ganondorf's influence, goro! You need to purify him!" Darunia called before hunching over.

"Save your strength!" Red told him urgently as he took inventory of the other's injuries. He knew he could heal humans… But could he heal a rock? He bit his lip.

"It's okay, brother," the Goron smiled. "This was meant to happen, goro. Don't bother trying," he said not unkindly.

"But you'll—"

"This was meant to happen," he repeated. "Help your brothers, okay? You all need each other if you're going to defeat the Evil King."

"Darunia," Red said softly, tears in his eyes. "Your sacrifice will not go forgotten, I promise."

"Thank you," the other sighed before closing his eyes.

"Darunia? Darunia!" Red cried, shaking the Goron slightly.

"Red…" Blue tugged the other to his feet and pressed him briefly to his chest.

"Why does this keep happening?" the red clad Link sniffed, his voice muffled by the other's chest.

While the blue Link tried to comfort his red counterpart, the others were currently trying to think of a plan.

"Green," Vio said thoughtfully. "Can you pull on his chains while equipping the Iron Boots?"

"Sure thing," Green nodded before running towards the towering figure. As soon as he had equipped the boots, Darbus roared before quickly moving away. This process repeated a few times before Green groaned in frustration. "Vi, it's not working!"

"Of course it's not that simple," the other muttered, rubbing his chin. His eyes happened to slide up to where the shining red crystal was situated on his forehead.

"Vio, why don't you shoot an arrow at the crystal thing?" Navi asked, hovering closely to Sheik.

"Exactly what I was thinking Navi," he smiled warmly at her as he notched an arrow. "Green, sneak up behind him with your Iron Boots. Sheik, ready your dagger."

"Okay."

"On it!"

The two got into their positions, bracing themselves. With deadly accuracy, Vio shot an arrow straight into the crystal. While Darbus thrashed around and screamed, Green took the chance to pull his chains. With another of his roars, he was down.

"Sheik, now!" the violet Link yelled. Sheik nodded before rushing forward, chipping at the crystal. He was only able to make a few cracks before the giant was back up and crushing everything in sight.

"My dagger's not strong enough," the Sheikah reported once he regrouped with Vio and Green. "We may need one of your swords."

"How about you take the Iron Boots and I'll take a crack at him?" the courageous one suggested. Sheik quickly agreed and rushed over, pulling on the Iron Boots. Once Darbus was thrashing around again, the lithe teen managed to pull him face-first to the ground.

"Go Green! Now!"

"Right!" With one powerful shove, the sword penetrated the crystal to its hilt. They were all bathed in a blinding white light.

"...D- Darunia?" Red said, catching everyone's attention. "You're alive…?"

"Um, well…" Darunia smiled sadly. "Hate to disappoint you brother, but…"

"Oh, I understand," the normally cheerful one slumped his shoulders.

"Don't worry though, goro! Because I have ascended to a higher existence and am now able to help you!" the goron said happily. "Here brothers, take this medallion. It holds my power as the Fire Sage."

"Thank you, Darunia," Vio murmured, stowing away the medallion and bowing to the sage.

"No problem," he grinned. "Tell the Princess I said hello and I'll see her soon!

"Also, brothers… if you could spare Darbus and tell him I died in an accident… well, it would kill him if he knew he killed me and tried to kill the others," the Sage requested, rubbing the back of his neck.

"We understand!" Red said, smiling softly. "Good luck, Darunia!"

"And a good luck to you, brothers!" With another cheerful smile, Darunia was gone.

* * *

><p>The Princess' portion was so short this time OTL. Though last week theirs was on the longer side and the boy's was shorter, and next chapter will be the Water Temple and the Zelda fight!<p>

Thanks for reading!


	15. Chapter 15

It's Just High School… Right?

A/N: Hey guys! We're starting on the next to last temple today, but trust me… the story is FAR from over…

Warnings: creative liberty with the Water Temple (part one, at least), probably some disturbing imagery in the Zelda battle, sassy redheads, four Links shenanigans, naked people...

Disclaimer: I don't own LoZ :C

OH, and italics mean dreams/flashbacks… just a heads up!

* * *

><p>It was now approaching the third week since her imprisonment. She had been moved from the throne room to the dungeons and left to rot.<p>

She was nothing but bait, and she knew it. There was no reason to keep her alive, as evidenced by the stagnant water and moldy bread they would bring her once a day.

But that didn't mean that the fight had left her quite yet.

Malon was known for her fiery personality. She often picked fights and tore people down with her words. She would always find some way out of a sticky situation, purely because of her iron will. This time was no different.

The second the guards left for the day, she crawled under her bed and started digging yet again. The normally solid stone was carved away as if it were soft clay.

"One of the rules to magic," she muttered to herself as she dug fervently, earth covering her from head to toe. "There is always a weak spot."

The others made fun of her for almost obsessively studying the art of magic. She would spend hours of her day reading ancient books on how to heal, to protect, even ways to burn houses and make humans feel unimaginable pain.

"It's really a shame I don't have the capacity for magic," she whispered. "I would totally be a master."

"Show me to her cell," a voice suddenly boomed out. She froze. She knew that voice.

With speed she didn't know she possessed in her considerably malnourished form, she rolled out from under her bed to sitting by the window, looking out of it contemplatively.

"She's right here, sir," a trembling voice rang. The fiery redhead rolled her eyes. Humans are so easily scared into following orders, wouldn't it kill them to grow a backbone and stand up for themselves, even if it resulted in death?

"Back to your post," the booming voice growled out. Scurrying footsteps sounded out, prompting her to roll her eyes again.

"What do you want?" she said softly, still turned towards the window.

"I'm just here to inform you that your little heroes are currently cleansing Death Mountain," Ganondorf said casually, leaning against the wall. "That is almost three temples that have been cleansed now.

"They have two more before they are to answer to me. Two more before they are to storm here to confront me. But I wonder… will they find you? Will they find you before you waste away?"

"Is there some reason why you're telling me this?" she mumbled.

"Oh, I just wanted you to know that since they are so close to reaching us, that I am going to cease giving you food and water. You are now tasked with surviving on your own will. If you can somehow sustain yourself on air for three more weeks, then you are deserving of the slim chance of being saved by your precious heroes. Good luck, ranch girl."

She waited until the footsteps faded before a fierce scowl lit her face. "If he won't let me out, then I'll just have to _force _my way out."

So she went right back to digging.

OOO

"Ah, come on!" she cried out in frustration. Though she was able to dig, she wasn't making much progress. "There's got to be a way…"

Frowning, she only dug more fiercely. When that yielded no result, she punched the wall in pure rage.

Wide eyed, the faux redhead watched as fire surrounded her palm and the stone melted away.

"M- magic? I have…. Magic?" she said in fascination, watching as the fire licked harmlessly at her palms before looking at the rather sizable hole she had created. "Right, no need to sit around staring. If I let them catch me it will be useless."

Without a second thought, she crawled out of the wall, grateful that the dungeons were located on the first floor. Dusting herself off, she stood a bit unsteadily and gratefully took in the sunshine.

"He said Death Mountain, yes?" she murmured as she turned in the direction of Kakiriko. "There's no time to lose then. I need to find them."

* * *

><p>Battered, burned, bruised, but smiling, the Links, Navi, and Sheik trooped down the mountain and back in to the village.<p>

"So now that we have the Fire Medallion," Vio started, adjusting his bow on his back, "We now have three temples left—the Water, Spirit, and Shadow. Though the Shadow Temple is right there, I suggest we hunt down Shadow before we enter it, because he will be very useful in navigating it."

"And you don't think the SHADOW Link is going to be in the SHADOW Temple?" Blue snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Well, no," the purple clad Link said matter-of-factly. "I can't feel him in there. Can you?"

"…No," the angry Link mumbled, averting his eyes. Red smiled softly at his close friends' embarrassment and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Then the logical answer would be that he is not in there," Vio finished. "So we must continue on to find him. He must be somewhere in Hyrule… Probably needs our help."

"It's so cute how much Vio worries about Shadow," Green whispered to Sheik as they entered the village. Sheik snickered, clearly agreeing.

"I heard that," the smart Link muttered, shooting a glare their way. The snickers increased.

"Hey, who's that?" Red asked, pointing towards a collapsed figure in the middle of the village. The figure was very emaciated, making it impossible to pinpoint the gender. However, the shock of red hair with deep brunette roots was unmistakable to the Sheikah…

"MALON!" he cried out, running at top speed towards the girl and sliding to his knees beside her. "Malon, speak to me!" he picked her up effortlessly (for she had never been heavy, but now she was way too light) and placed her gently against his chest, softly rocking her back and forth.

"Sheik, come on, we have to get her inside," Green said urgently, him and Vio the only ones able to immediately snap to attention. The other two looked on, clearly shocked. "We have to get her warm and nourished."

"Yes, let's use Impa's house," Vio suggested, running a worried gaze over the girl. Sheik gave no second thought as he ran at breakneck speed towards his aunt's house. Immediately upon entering, he raced to the bedroom and placed her on the bed before stripping her of her clothes. Goddesses, she was cold, and he could count every rib on her body…

"Green," he barked to the said Link who had just skidded in. "Undress and get under the covers with her. It will warm her up faster if there are no clothes in between you two."

Nodding, the Link thought nothing of stripping himself and burrowing under the covers with the redhead, wrapping her completely in his warmth.

"I'll go find water and some soup," Vio declared before he disappeared. The other two had entered by now and was currently staring at the unconscious girl in Green's arms.

"I mean, I'm not complaining, but… why Green?" Blue asked.

"I figured that, when she wakes up, she may as well wake up to someone she was familiar with. Pink… well, Pink isn't here, she would probably be very embarrassed and mortified if she woke up beside me naked, and Green acts the most like Link, so… He can give her some comfort," Sheik murmured, reaching out to brush a hand against her cheek lightly. "Din, she's so pale… and so thin…"

"I wonder how she escaped," Red piped up. "Ganondorf's fortress is no joke."

"Malon is very resourceful, of course she found a way out," Sheik sniffed before grinning in pride of his best friend. "I wouldn't be surprised if she suddenly found out she had some innate ability like magic and put it to use."

Green chuckled softly. "That sounds like Mal…" he gently brushed her hair back from her face. The pure love that shown in his eyes made Sheik's heart ache; though the others certainly cared and wanted to make sure she would make it through, their intentions seemed strictly friendly and familial. Green however… well, it seemed that Green had inherited the love of the sassy girl from Link. It made Sheik wonder how Malon would take the news about Link, and if she could learn to love his courageous counterpart.

OOO

What seemed like days (but had truly only been hours) later, the girl started to shift. The Links immediately snapped to attention as she stirred.

"Malon?" Green whispered, stroking a finger down her cheek. "Are you awake?"

"Link?" she mumbled, her eyes still closed as she turned to face him.

"…Yeah," he bit his lip, feeling incredibly guilty about lying to her. However, he knew that the best course of action for now was easing her into the truth instead of slamming it all down on her before she even had the chance to fully wake.

And besides, he WAS technically Link.

"Hey," she breathed, worming her arms around his neck and burying her face into his chest. "I had the strangest dream… That we were at Prom, and some guy showed up and kidnapped me, and then I found out I had magic and escaped—"

"Ah, she's finally awake!" Sheik said brightly as he carried in a bowl of hot soup and water. "Are you hungry Mal?"

"Starving," she frowned, detaching herself from Green and taking in her surroundings. "Where are we… and why am I naked? Why is HE naked? And _why are there three other Links staring at me?_"

"…Malon," the green Link started, sighing heavily. "There's a lot to explain. I… well, I'm not Link. At least, I'm not the Link you knew anyway," he mumbled, scratching his neck. "Sheik, care to explain?" The Sheikah nodded and explained everything to the wide-eyed redhead.

"So… I actually was kidnapped? And you found me in the middle of the village unconscious?" she asked. At his nod, she continued her questions. "And you four are different aspects of Link's personality?"

"Yes," Vio piped up. "We may act vastly different, but at the end of the day, we are essentially one being—Link Kokiri."

"Wait, so… does that mean… I'm dating all four of you?" she inquired. "No offense, but I'm not really into the polyamory thing."

"Well… I guess very technically yes you are," the intelligent Link replied, brows furrowed.

"But I… I don't feel anything for Malon," Red piped up.

"Neither do I," Blue mumbled. "Vio? Do you?"

"No," he shook his head. Sheik noticed they conveniently forgot to ask Green, who was very obviously determined to stay silent on the matter. "We may be parts of Link, but we are also different from him. He may have loved you, but that doesn't necessarily mean that those feelings transfer over to us. They may instead house themselves inside one of us," he hinted, smirking at the way Green turned beet red.

"Oh, I see," she said, sneaking a glance at the courageous Link. It seemed she had wised on to what they were pointing at. "Is there any way to get him back?"

"We don't know," Sheik said, fluffing her pillow as he helped her to sit up so she could sip her soup. "We're currently working on that."

"Though the longer we stay separated, the slimmer the chances become," Green admitted. "The longer we are separated, the more we make our own memories, have our own thoughts. We become individuals instead of parts of a whole."

She furrowed her brows. "So…"

"As of right now, we're theorizing that Link may not come back," Sheik muttered, looking away. Though he gained four brothers in his place, the loss of his Kokiri brother still stung greatly.

He STILL slipped and called Green Link from time to time…

"…Well, can't say I'm not sad," she murmured. "But I know that this is probably what he wanted, and I'm going to respect his wishes.

"So," she said briskly, accepting the bowl of soup from Sheik. "When we leave here, I want to help any way I can."

"But—"

"No buts Green," she interrupted. "I know, I know, I'm a girl, I can't fight, whatever. But you should know better than anyone that I'm one of the toughest chicks there was. And," the redhead added, a glint in her eye, "I have an ability that will be dead useful to you."

"Oh? And what would that be?" Blue asked, lifting a brow.

"Vio, you have a cut on your arm," Malon said, not acknowledging Blue for the time being. "Come here."

"Why?"

"Just come here," she insisted, waving him forward impatiently. He shrugged and strode over. She scooted herself further away from the Green Link and reached for the Purple Link's arm, turning it over to reveal the cut.

"I'm not quite sure if this will work, but I figure it's worth a shot," she muttered, taking a deep breath and laying her hand over his cut.

"Wha—" a feeling of hot, then cold, then hot again raced through Vio's arm. When she dropped her hand, he held it up in wonder. "My arm! It's completely healed!"

"Oh, maybe we should light the fireplace huh? It's getting a bit chilly, she said casually, not giving anyone time to reply before she shot a thin stream of fire at it.

"…Somehow, I knew she would be a mage," Sheik commented lightly, staring into the flames.

"Malon, you have both black and white mage powers!" Navi piped up, zooming around the girl who smiled up at the fairy. "That's amazing! I've never heard of someone having both powers!"

"Well? Still think you'll just be lugging me around?" she challenged, to which there was no answer. "That's what I thought."

* * *

><p>With a light splash, Pink dove into the polluted water, instinctively holding her breath before realizing that she could actually breathe due to the tunic.<p>

"So we need to find your ancestor and awaken your full powers," Midna confirmed, shifting in the Light Princess' shadow as she swam farther into the Temple.

"Correct," Pink nodded, pumping her arms and legs vigorously. "Once we awaken my powers, I should be able to communicate with the Sages and find some way to defeat Ganondorf and put an end to this once and for all."

"And once we awaken your powers, we can find your friends."

"Also correct."

The blonde broke the surface of the water, noticing the rather low level of the water. "Why isn't the water higher?"

"Probably a puzzle," the Twili commented casually. "Come on, up. I want to stretch my legs."

"Oh shush," the other muttered, heaving herself onto the nearest ledge.

_One of the perks to being on the run, _she thought idly, drawing her sword. _I'm very well-toned now._

"Alright, well," she declared, spinning to cut a tektite that had been heading her way. "Might as well get started."

OOO

"…Crap," the blonde muttered upon entering the room.

The room was nothing but a bunch of platforms moving in a circle against a waterfall. A glance down told her there was a deep, dark, seemingly endless pit at the bottom. At the top, there was a single door.

"I think you have no choice but to jump," Midna commented, briefly lifting out of the other's shadow. "There's nothing else we can really do about it."

"You're right," Pink sighed, sheathing the Sage's Sword and backing up against the wall. "Well, here goes…"

The Light Princess sprinted a few feet before jumping straight towards a rising platform. Her fingers scrambled to find purchase for a few seconds before settling.

"Okay, now to just climb up," she muttered, groaning and heaving herself up.

"Pink, you have to jump now if you're going to make it!" Midna warned, shifting inside the shadow.

"Great," she mumbled before taking a step and jumping again. She managed to make a clear landing, only stumbling a bit before straightening.

"Hey, I think I'm getting pretty good at this," she complimented herself, casually dusting the tunic off.

"Alright, enough preening, let's go," Midna interjected, the eye roll visible even through the shadow.

OOO

"What is this place…?" Pink breathed, entering the room.

The room was covered in a fog. It seemed to stretch on forever, broken only by an island and a black tree in the distance. As if in a trance, the Light Princess started towards the tree, taking note of the fact that she was stepping through water but she wasn't wet.

"You are in the Room of Illusions," a voice purred.

"Th- that voice…" the blonde trembled, grip on the hilt of her sword tightening. She barely noticed the door slam closed behind her. "I… I know that voice…"

"Hello, descendant of mine," the voice continued, this time accompanied by a figure appearing by the tree. "Miss me?"

"You… you're the reason why I'm separated from the others… You're the reason why I'm here!" Pink exclaimed, holding her sword in a death grip in front of her. "It's all because of you!"

"Pink, get a hold of yourself," Midna snapped, rising out of the shadow. "You'll only be able to defeat her if you have a level head and think clearly."

"Yes, listen to the shadow," Zelda, now fully unveiled, smirked. "I have the powers you don't. I am infinitely more powerful than you are, you scrawny little girl!" Wind and lightening swirled and crackled around the ancestor, making the descendant's hair on end. "I am ashamed to call you my descendant if that stupid sword is all you have to offer me!"

"Pink, get ready!" Midna called. "I can't help you, this is your fight and your fight alone. This is the true test of your wisdom, your courage, and your strength!"

With significantly less tremble than she had before, Pink lifted the sword higher. "I am the current Seventh Sage! I am the current holder of the Triforce of Wisdom! I _CAN _and _WILL _defeat you!"

Zelda didn't answer, but instead lifted into the air, the storm still surrounding her. She shot a stream of lightening and a powerful gust of wind at the other blonde, who rolled out of the way.

"I can't get to her while she's in the air," she muttered, dodging another stream of lightening. "I can't keep this up forever… If I just keep dodging, she'll eventually catch up to me."

_Have you so easily forgotten what we've taught you, Princess? _an amused voice sounded into her voice. She perked up immediately.

_Sheik?_

_Of course. _

_Do you really think we would just leave you to this fight by yourself?_

_Link!_

_Yes. Remember your arrows, Princess._

"Right! The arrows!" she exclaimed, the bow and arrow immediately appearing in her hands. "I can shoot her down with these!"

_I don't think it will be that easy, young one._

_Climb into the tree and shoot from there, _Link suggested.

_Right._

With nimble grace taught to her by the Sheikah she grew up with, she was able to heft herself into the dead tree before aiming the arrow. As predicted, the arrows were only able to briefly incapacitate the once pure Light Princess. However, it did give the current Triforce of Wisdom time to fly at the other and tackle her to the ground.

"This is crazy, right?" Shadow said, casually standing beside Midna.

"When did you get here?" Midna asked, surprised.

"I've always been here, just not visible. You're not the only one capable of moving through the shadow," he commented, staring at the two going at it.

Back at the dueling Princesses, the two were currently at a stalemate. Pink was able to repeatedly knock her out of the air, and yet… none of her attacks seemed to do any good.

_I have no idea what to do. None of my attacks affect her, _Pink thought desperately, temporarily taking refuge in the tree.

_You must purge her._

_You must use your powers as the Seventh Sage._

_But they are currently housed within her!_

_You would be surprised at the powers you already have, _Sheik told her gently. _Let me teach you how to purge her of her evil… I house myself in the Shadow, but I do have knowledge of the Light._

With new knowledge acquired, the girl prepared to attack again.

"This again?!" Zelda snarled as she was pinned. "When will you learn that this does nothing?"

"I know that my attacks don't do anything… but now I know how to cleanse you!"

"Right," the other snorted. "What are you going to do, impale me on your sword again?"

"No," Pink replied simply before placing her hand gently on the other's chest. Pink's hand slid in effortlessly, searching around the other's chest cavity.

Zelda screamed in agony as her descendant pulled out a shadow. Without hesitation, she stabbed an arrow made from her power straight into the shadow, who screamed then disintegrated.

The ancestor fell limp. Pink smiled victoriously before collapsing on top of her.

"…Pink?" Midna said cautiously, moving forward.

"She's probably fine," Shadow commented.

* * *

><p>It's three in the morning, and I'm so tired… OTL. Thanks for reading! *heart*<p> 


	16. Chapter 16

It's Just High School… Right?

A/N: Since I have started this story, I have been getting a lot of hate and criticism over how I have portrayed Zelda. I'd just like to say that her actions will be explained in this chapter, so hopefully the flames will stop *sweatdrop*

Warnings: dense Link, more four Links shenanigans joined with Malon, Sheik, and Navi, three scheming Links, awk situations involving boyfranns that have been split into four, ancestors forcing the plot to move along, violence…

Disclaimer: I don't own LoZ :C

OH, and italics mean dreams/flashbacks… just a heads up!

* * *

><p>…<em>Princess…<em>

_Princess of Destiny, awaken._

Pink twitched in her sleep, scowling before turning onto her stomach ungracefully and burying her head in her hands. "Five more minutes Sheik… I'll get up in five minutes."

_Princess, come on. Get up._

"Link, leave me alone."

_Princess, please…_

At this voice, Pink finally opened her eyes. After all, it wasn't every day that you heard your own voice beckoning you to wake up.

"Hello, Princess," Link waved cheerily, his face a hair away from hers. Her eyes widened and she shot awake, spinning away from him.

"Your face was priceless!" the Hero of Time howled, rolling around on the ground laughing. Behind him, both Sheik and the Princess' ancestor stood, shaking their heads at the other's antics.

Once she spotted the Princess, Pink shot to her feet, her sword held defensively in front of her. "Sheik, watch out! She has somehow managed to infiltrate the Sacred Realm!"

"Calm, young one," Zelda beckoned, a regretful expression on her face. "I am no longer held by the Evil that took hold of my heart. Thanks to you, I am finally free.

"While I was sleeping, my power was being used to hold the King of Evil and all of his subordinates. Somehow, his evil managed to leak into me and take ahold of my heart, bringing all of my frustrations and regrets and insecurities to the surface. Like a parasite, their evil burrowed deep within me and fed off of my energy and my power, becoming more and more powerful. It is because of this that the seal weakened and that they are all more powerful than they were before."

"So…"

"You are not only fighting against Ganondorf," the ancestor continued. "Indeed, you and the heroes both have already encountered two of his subordinates—they have come across Majora and you, Zant.

"You must be careful, my young one, because even though you and the Princess of Twilight have managed to eliminate him, you have not seen the last of Zant. Zant is one of his most valuable, and so, he will not let him die so easily," she said, smiling slightly at her descendant's serious expression.

"Do not worry, however. Because you have defeated the evil that has plagued me, I have been able to fully transfer to you my full power. Congratulations, Princess—you have now fully awakened as the Seventh Sage."

"I… I'm the…"

"Yes, child. You are the Leader of the Sages. You have also awakened all of your powers over the Light. You are a force to be reckoned with," Zelda said, eyes twinkling. "You truly are the Princess of Destiny."

"Thank you, ancestor," Pink said, bowing deeply. "I will take these powers you have bestowed upon me and use them well."

"I trust you will," the other nodded. "And, Princess…"

"Yes, ancestor?"

"I… I am very sorry," she said, staring determinedly at the ground. "You should know that if I hadn't had that evil, I never would have separated you from the others. It's because of me that you almost killed them, it's because of me that you are now separated from Sheik and your friends—"

"Ancestor," Pink cut in. "It wasn't your fault. You said yourself evil from Ganondorf himself had housed itself within your heart. I do not blame you. This is no one's fault.

"Besides, if I hadn't have been separated from them, I would not have been able to find Midna, or help her with Zant. She would most likely be dead right now, so it is because of you that I have found a valuable ally and friend. So do not worry," she continued, smiling. "There are no hard feelings."

"So this is what it's like to be in the same room as two holders of the Triforce of Wisdom," Link muttered behind them. "Sounds confusing."

"It's only confusing to you because you're a knucklehead," Sheik replied, rolling his eyes.

"I wonder what it would be like if I talked to another with the Triforce of Courage?" the Hero mused, ignoring the jab made at him.

"Like two Chihuahuas trying to assert their dominance," the Sheikah supplied without missing a beat, making the Princesses laugh quietly at Link's pout.

"It is time for you to return to your world," Zelda said, reluctance clearly showing through her speech. "This is not the last we will meet, Princess. I will make sure of it."

"Of course," the blonde nodded. "Ancestor… thank you. For everything you've done. Thank you two as well," she said, turning towards the two men.

"It is our pleasure," Sheik said, his eyes crinkling into a smile.

"No problem!" Link grinned.

"Before you leave, though… There is one thing that needs to be done," the former holder of the Triforce of Wisdom said, running a critical eye over her descendant's clothing. "What on earth are you wearing?"

"Yeah, about that," Pink said, scratching the back of her neck. "Well… I was in my prom clothes when everything went down, and Midna had to make adjustments because it was too heavy, and I've been fighting non-stop… So Ruto gave me a water tunic so I could breathe underwater, and I was hoping I could just wear this from now on because it is comfortable to fight in… however, the flippers are a bit difficult to maneuver in…"

"Enough," the other interrupted. "I will give you clothes worthy of a princess, so you will not be made to wear these clothes the whole time."

"Yeah, that tunic makes you look too similar to Blue," Link commented casually.

"And warrior clothes are not fit for a princess," Sheik added.

"Hey! Just because I am a princess doesn't mean I'm not a warrior!" the descendant said indignantly.

"She is right Sheik," Zelda agreed. "The time for princesses to wait for their heroes has come to pass, you should know that by now. No, she is a warrior _and _a princess, and need clothes that embody both of those spirits. Now stand still and close your eyes, Princess."

Pink did as she was told, feeling the strange sensation of being undressed and redressed by someone else come over her. "That's perfect! You may open your eyes now, my child."

"Gotta say, Zelda, you really know how to put together an outfit," the Hero of Time commented, grinning at the Princess.

"He is right, Princess," the Sheikah agreed. "She truly looks like both a warrior and a princess."

Pink opened her eyes to see a mirror standing in front of her. "Well? What do you think?" the ancestor said expectantly.

The first thing Pink noticed was that her hair was braided back and held in place by a dainty diadem. She also had shoulder plates that were connected to a sturdy chest plate. A purple corset secretly enforced with steel hugged her abdomen and was connected to a cape-like skirt. The front of her legs were covered by a piece of cloth adorned with the Triforce and the Sheikah emblem. Under the skirt were shorts to cover vital areas and give her more of a sense of decency. Gloves encased her hands, and an ornate shield was slung over her sword sheath on her back. Thigh high steel toed boots finished the look off.

"Wow… I'm…" she breathed, unable to find words.

"You're breathtaking, young one. You are one truly fit for the clothes of a warrior princess," Zelda said, smiling openly at the other. "Thank the Three that you are not forced to run around in that ridiculous hat now."

"Hey! My hat is cool!" Link exclaimed, pouting. Sheik once again rolled his eyes but laid a soft hand on the other's shoulder in comfort.

"Now, you really must return to your world," the ancestor said, longing for more time written all over her face. "Like I said before… this will not be the end for us."

"By the way, Princess," Link interjected, scratching the back of his neck in much the same fashion that Pink had. "You may or may not be trapped in the Room of Illusions until the heroes come…"

"Yes, we knew this would happen," she sighed. "At least now I know I will definitely meet up with them again."

"Yes, and they may have a surprise for you," Sheik supplied, eyes once again crinkling in a smile. "Until next time, Princess. Remember that we are constantly watching over you."

"Go on, back to your world. They need you," Zelda said, placing a gentle, loving kiss on her descendant's forehead. "Until we meet again."

"Goodbye! I will bring the light back into our world!" Pink said as she faded from the other's view. Once she was gone, Zelda sighed.

"You know, Hero," she said, turning toward the two men. "You have not been hostile to me once since I have come back."

"Eh, I know there's no use in it anymore," Link shrugged. "Like the Princess said. It wasn't your fault that time, either. Might as well forgive and forget!"

"…And you couldn't decide this _before _all of that drama went down," Sheik deadpanned, to which the Hero had the grace to look sheepish.

"Well, we never said I was a quick thinker."

OOO

"Pink! There you are!" Midna's voice was clearly filled with relief. "After the fight, your body just disappeared, and—what happened to your clothes?"

"Midna?" she croaked, sitting up and holding her head. "Ow…"

"Be careful, you were beaten up pretty badly," a male voice sounded behind the Twili. Pink craned her neck to see a rather pale version of Link standing behind them. "I'm Shadow, by the way. I'm the fifth Link."

"Huh… I thought there were only four," Pink muttered. "Anyways, I met with my ancestor after she had been cleansed. She gave me advice, new clothes, and all of my powers. I have taken my place as the Leader of the Sages."

"That's wonderful!" the Twili said, eyes alight with excitement. "Together, we should be unbeatable now!"

"Yes," the blonde said, smiling lightly. "Only problem is, we're stuck in here until the others show."

* * *

><p>Green growled, sticking his sword through a Moblin that had attempted to sneak up on Malon from behind. "We're being overwhelmed!"<p>

"Hold your ground!" Sheik snapped, running by and sending a well-aimed punch through another's throat. "If we can just hold on a bit longer, Vio will be able to take them out from up top and we will have all but won!" Sure enough, the twang of a bow was heard and two Lizalfos fell dead in front of them.

While the heroes were resting and waiting for Malon to be well enough to travel, Ganondorf had decided it was the time to invade Kakariko. He sent a horde of his minions into the village with the express intent of eliminating anyone who didn't surrender immediately.

"How does he even have this many minions?" Blue ground out as he and Red ran passed. The two stopped and stood back to back as they were surrounded. Red, with an uncharacteristic scowl on his face, drew out his Fire Rod as Blue whipped out his hammer. Together, they easily took down the horde.

"I knew there were many within the castle… But I don't think I saw even a fifth of the amount that has shown up here today…. And this can't be all of them! He surely has more!" Malon cried out as she threw a fireball into a huge group harassing a frightened villager cowering against a wall. The villager gave her a grateful look before scampering off to the mountains.

"That's it!" Sheik breathed as he took out another Lizalfos with his dagger. "If we can get the villagers to the mountain, then they'll be safe from future invasions!"

"Yes, but the problem is saving them _now,_" Green grunted, standing in front of Malon and cutting through two enemies. She smiled at him gratefully before aiming a bolt of lightning at another group harassing villagers.

"There's too many!" Red yelled out desperately, cutting down as many with his sword as he could. Blue constantly circled him, stabbing through the ones that got too close for comfort.

"I'VE HAD _ENOUGH!" _the redhead finally screamed, her hair billowing around her.

"Take cover!" Sheik called, grabbing Green and ducking behind a building.

While the others were shielding themselves from the storm that was the mage, she had concocted a whirlwind of lightning, fire, and water around herself. With another powerful yell, she sent it all at her enemies, who all either burned to a crisp or drowned on the water clogging their throats. "BEGONE FROM HERE!"

Once the storm died down, everything was deathly quiet. "Malon…?" Green asked tentatively, poking his head out from behind the building.

"My… head…" she mumbled before collapsing. The green eyed Link rushed out to catch her before she could fall on her face.

"You overdid it," he murmured to her, cradling her gently in his arms. "Come on, let's get you inside."

The other five watched the courageous Link walk off with the girl in his arms. "He SO likes her," Blue said.

"Well, duh!" Navi said, hitting his head slightly. "Of course he does!"

"It does make sense," Vio mused, staring at them contemplatively. "We always said Green was the most like Link, I guess that also includes his taste in women."

"I guess we'll just have to get them together somehow!" Red declared. "She's still upset over Link, but I think she could love Green easily, especially since he's so much like him!"

Sheik stayed silent on the whole exchange. Yes, he wanted Malon to move on and wished the best for his newfound brothers, but her and Green just… didn't sit right with him.

He supposed he was still grieving.

"I think we've given them enough time alone for now," the blue eyed one said, making his way towards their house. "Can't let them get too close too quickly, you know?"

OOO

Once the seven settled themselves back comfortably into the house, they held a meeting on the best course of action.

"The thing is, we held them back now, but that involved Malon almost killing herself," Green said, laying a soft hand on the girl's shoulder, making her blush slightly. The other three Links smirked. "And there's no way of being able to advance in our search for Pink AND protecting the village unless some of us stayed here, which simply isn't an option."

"Right, we're in this together," Sheik nodded. "We all need each other, we can't separate. Which is why I have a plan."

"Really?" Vio said, cocking an eyebrow. "Do tell."

Well, we could move them to the mountains," the Sheikah suggested. "I noticed one villager running to take refuge there, and remembered the Gorons. They're tough, they can fight. And they still owe us from the whole Darbus incident."

"Sheik has a point," Malon cut in. "I think that may be our best course of action right now."

"Thanks, Mal," Sheik smiled warmly at his best friend. "I figure three of us could escort them up the mountain while the other four stay here and protect the village from another onslaught."

"I'll take them," the mage offered. "I figure if anyone gets hurt, I can heal them easily."

"I'll go with her," Green said right after, making everyone snicker.

"I'll go with them too!" Navi said as she settled herself on top of Malon's shoulder. "I'm not much use in a fight, but I can be a scout for them!"

"Well then the rest of us can stay here until you get back. It may take a while for you to get up there," Vio warned.

"That's okay," they all said in unison.

"Anything to help out!" the faery chirped.

"By the way, Malon," the purple eyed one turned to the ranch girl, who gave him a questioning look. "After your little stunt today, I wanted to talk to you about your magic."

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Your power is incredible, unlike anything I've ever seen," he started. She puffed out her chest proudly. "However… I don't think you should do it again."

"Wha… why?!"

"Because, while your power is incredible, if you keep overusing it like that, then it could destroy you," he explained, causing Green to subconsciously wrap an arm around her waist. She raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing, turning her attention back to the intelligent Link.

"If you keep using it like that, it could keep feeding off of your energy and… well… literally rip you apart."

"Are you serious?" she exclaimed. "How am I supposed to fight then!"

"I don't think he's telling you not to use your magic, Mal," Sheik supplied before smirking. "He's just telling you to try not to kick major butt like that again."

"Really though, Malon… that was amazing," Red told her, smiling sincerely.

"Well, thanks Red," she said, blushing. "When should we take the villagers up the mountain?"

"As soon as possible," Sheik said seriously. "We can't afford to waste much more time, we need to find Pink and we need to find her soon."

"Right," she said seriously. "We'll start tomorrow then. I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted," she continued, letting out a huge yawn and standing up. "I think I'm going to go to bed."

"About that," Vio started, a mischievous glint in his eye. "We seem to be on a shortage of rooms. Sheik has graciously allowed you to sleep in his bed while you were injured, but now that you're better, it's probably time you allow him to have his room back don't you think?" Sheik opened his mouth to inform them that he didn't mind sharing before he received an elbow to the ribs by Blue.

"She could stay with me," Green offered, somehow keeping the hopeful look off his face.

"Are you sure?" she turned to him, eyes wide. "I don't want to crowd you… I know it's already a bit awkward between us and all…"

"No, I don't mind," he shook his head, trying not to seem too eager.

"Well then it's settled, you can just share with Green then!" Red chirped before standing up and yawning cutely. "I think I'm going to head off to bed myself…" Blue nodded before following the red eyed Link out the room.

"I may go to bed myself," Vio said, standing up. Sheik quietly excused himself as well.

"So… what half of the bed do you sleep on?" Malon asked.

"Hm? Oh, usually the left," Green said absentmindedly as he cleaned up the remnants of everyone's dinner. It was the least he could do for bestowing this gift upon him.

"That's funny, I like the right myself," she smiled tentatively to which he grinned back.

"I know."

He refrained to mention that he remembered when she would share a bed with Link.

OOO

_Sheik stood in a wide, open field. Here, the grass was an emerald green, the flowers littering the ground were vibrant, and the sky was a lovely robin's egg blue._

"_Sheik." At the sound of the familiar voice, said Sheikah turned around… only to be met with a mirror image of himself._

"_You… you are—"_

"_I am you, but I am also vastly different from you," the other replied, coming forward. "I am Sheik, of the Sheikah… and the Shadow Guide of the Hero of Time's era. I am your ancestor."_

"_So, you're the one I've been hearing…"_

"_Yes. I have been watching over you since you were born. I knew that one day the time for us to meet would come, and that time… well, that time is now."_

"_We have long awaited the time when we would come to interact with you, my dear," a woman said as she came into view. Sheik's jaw nearly dropped._

"_Pink? You're safe? Thank the Three!" he exclaimed, reaching out to envelope the princess in a tight hug._

"_Sh- Sheik… can't… breathe…" she gasped out, being thoroughly crushed._

"_Sheik! Unhand the Princess!" the other Sheik snapped, easily pulling them apart. "That is no way to treat royalty!"_

"_Sheik, it is alright, truly," the Princess smiled weakly and dusted her dress off. "Though… I hate to disappoint you, young one, but—"_

"…_You're not Pink," he finished, shoulders drooping. "I could tell by the way you were talking to me."_

"_I'm sorry," she murmured, lowering her head. "I am her ancestor."_

"_Do not worry, Sheik," the Shadow Guide cut in. "The Princess is safe. She has successfully been able to cleanse her ancestor of the darkness that surrounded her and awaken her powers as the Leader of the Sages. This is exactly what I called you here to talk about._

"_She is currently within the Water Temple. To reach her ancestor, she had to enter the Room of Illusions, which is one way to everyone except the Links who are situated in the Light."_

"_Links who are…?"_

"_Yes. There are the four Links, who are the Links who house themselves in Light. They have a counterpart who is housed within the shadow, just as we are. I'm sure they've at least mentioned him to you."_

"_Yes, they frequently mention a Link named Shadow," he nodded. _

"_That is him," the other Sheik confirmed. "He is also currently in the Room of Illusions with the Princesses of Light and Twili. The Princess of Twili and the Shadow Link will accompany you on your quest once you reach them, bringing your count to ten."_

"_But do not think that you will be able to blow through everything because you have nine others at your back," Zelda cut in. "You must remember that Navi cannot fight and that there is a reason you need nine fighters. There are still many hardships you have yet to face."_

"_Your primary goal right now is to reach the Princesses and the Shadow Link. Once you reach them and retrieve the medallions, you may finally face the Evil King," the Sheikah finished. "Do you understand?"_

"_Yes, of course, ancestor," Sheik said immediately. "I'll do anything and everything I can to stop this evil from overtaking Hyrule and retrieving the Princesses and Shadow."_

"_I knew we could count on you," Zelda said gently. "I see now why you have taken my descendant's heart so strongly."_

_The descendant blushed. "Oh, well, I…"_

"_Princess, do not make the child embarrassed," the other Sheikah chided, lightly rolling his eyes._

"_I can't help it, Sheik," she whined. The young one couldn't help thinking that that was the first time he saw them acting as something other than royalty and bodyguard. "Just look at him! He's determined, loyal, a fierce fighter, and adorable to boot! Maybe I should take him for myself—"_

"_Anyway," the ancestor interrupted. "Before you go, we need to seriously do something about what you're wearing."_

_Sheik looked down at himself. He was still somewhat in his tux from Prom night. The jacket was long gone, the pants were ripped and singed, his shoes and three-fourths of his shirt had also gone missing at some point…_

"_Yeah," he agreed, picking at the grimy articles of clothing. "You're right. I can't see Pink in this."_

"_Princess, could you please spare this boy from embarrassment and work your magic?" the other asked, his eyes crinkling in a smile._

"_Of course, Sheik," she grinned back before giving the descendant an once-over. "Hm…. I'm thinking something a bit more traditional, similar to what your ancestor has on… Unlike your girlfriend, your fighting clothes are not supposed to differ much from your uniform. Let's see… close your eyes, child."_

_The Sheikah did as he was told, listening to the lightly whispered instructions from his ancestor. He stood for what seemed like forever, until the odd feeling of being undressed and redressed came over him. "You can open your eyes now." Once he did so, a mirror appeared in front of him. "Well? What do you think? I want an honest answer!"_

_Instead of a ruined tux, the Sheikah warrior now had on a blue exoskeleton suit. Over it he wore a tabard with the Eye of Truth proudly emblazoned across it. Soft leather boots encased his feet and wrappings were present all over his body—on his fingers, his wrists, his arms, his legs. A cowl was attached to his collar for him to pull up when desired._

"_I look…"_

"_You look like a Sheikah warrior," his ancestor said, giving him an approving look. "But of course… a warrior is not complete without their weapons. A whip," he started, bringing out a metal chained whip, "to capture your enemies with. Throwing needles to hide within your wrappings to down your enemies before they know you're there. And a dagger," he pressed a coal-black dagger into Sheik's palm, "that will draw out the very essence of your enemies. But be careful, because it may draw upon your power and drain you. Use it wisely."_

"_Thank you, ancestor," Sheik said reverently, bowing respectfully. "I will take these and use them well. And thank you," he then bowed to the Princess, who giggled, "for this gift you have bestowed upon me. I will surely be able to fight more effectively and be of more use to the heroes. Though I do believe I heard you mention something about Pink…?"_

"_Oh, she was here earlier," the Princess said casually. "She was in a tunic that was way too close to Link's design for comfort. I of course had to give her clothes worthy of a warrior Princess."_

"_It wasn't fair to you guys that the Links had tunics that were easy to fight in and represented their heritage," the other Sheik added. "You needed something too._

"_However, the time for us to part has come," the ancestor said regretfully. "This will not be the last time we speak like this, I promise. Until next time."_

"_Thank you," Sheik said, bowing again as he faded away. "I will protect Hyrule!"_

_As soon as he was gone, Link poked his head from behind the tree he was hiding behind. "Man, I wish I could have seen Sheik…"_

"_It's bad enough that Zelda decided to meet him," Sheik said. "But at least he'll see the Princess again. Imagine the breakdown he'd have if he saw you and he remembered he's not going to see Link again?"_

"_I mean, I know you're right," the Hero shrugged. "But I'm going to pout anyways."_

* * *

><p>The Hyrule Warriors Zelda design is just so kickass I couldn't help but add it in! She just looks amazing!<p>

Thank you for reading! Until next chapter!


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